Parfum Pretty Cure!
by Julia Lucrezia Hanazono
Summary: Three young girls become the warriors named Pretty Cure, whose task is to defeat the Poison Pride and stop them from turning the world into something stinky and repulsive. But what if there's more to it than that? Things get more complicated when the girls are a tomboy, a shy girl, and a snotty rich girl who can barely keep things together.
1. Introducing Cure Plumeria!

Author's Note: Hi peeps. Juliko here, presenting a new fan series. Don't worry. TwiPre will be finished. I just have this idea I wanted to get out, and this one will be shorter. I know it has a scent/perfume theme, but I assure you, it will NOT be a rip-off of Perfume Preppy.

AND I SWEAR TO YOU I WILL TRY MY BEST TO _**NOT**_ REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES I MADE IN TWIPRE! Enjoy!

Parfum Pretty Cure!

Chapter 1: The Adventurous Tomboy Is a Sweet Smelling Super Hero!

The afternoon sun shone brightly on the sweet smelling town of Nioumachi. People of all ages bustled through the streets, and kids in school are now at play, as it's recess time. For the most part, the town is relatively peaceful.

But at Niou Middle School, it would have been if it weren't all in a tizzy over the fact that a girl is climbing a tree outside the blacktop.

Many kids watched from behind the chain link fence with eyes brimming with anticipation. One teacher, a young lady with her brown hair done in a tight odango bun, gasped as she saw a girl climbing a tree, heading toward a bird's nest.

"Fujiyama Kaoru! Get down from there this instant!" The teacher shouted fearfully.

The girl in question has pale brown hair streaming down to her shoulders, curling at the ends. Some strands of it have little white flower clips on them. Her blue eyes twinkled like the ocean at sunset. She's wearing a sleeveless magenta shirt, blue jean shorts, white knee length socks, and baby blue tennis shoes. A grey sweater is wrapped around her waist, with the sleeves tied like a bow. In the girl's left hand is a small baby bird. It has feathers, so it's not in any danger. Kaoru looked down to see the audience down below.

"Just a second! This baby bird fell out of its nest! I'm gonna put it back in first!" Kaoru called out before getting closer to the nest.

"It's too dangerous! Please, come down this instant or you'll fall!" The teacher bellowed, her eyes so wide they look like they're about to pop right out of her face.

"Come on, Kaoru! Listen to Uzumaki-sensei! Please!" One bespectacled girl with black braids called out.

Kaoru didn't listen. She managed to reach the nest without any trouble. She very gently put the baby bird back in the nest. The little birds chirped happily, welcoming their sibling with open feathers. "Alrighty! I'll be down in a sec!" Kaoru called out before slowly trying to get down.

"Should I call the fire department? An ambulance? The police? Oh dear oh dear! What do I do?" Mrs. Uzumaki exclaimed worriedly, at a loss as to what to do.

The tree itself isn't very high, so Kaoru was a safe distance up. But her foot slipped, and she let out a yelp as she stumbled from the tree. "Yeek!"

Another girl with shaggy dark brown hair leaped on the grass, letting out a "UUGH!" sound as Kaoru fell on her back. Everyone else squeezed their eyes shut, fearing the worst. But when they opened them, they found Kaoru and the other girl are alright.

"Safe," The brown haired girl said as Kaoru got up from her back.

Kaoru let out an embarrassed laugh as she rubbed her hair with her hand. The teacher stomped over to her with a tomato red face, took her by the arm, and pulled her away from the tree. "Ow! That hurts!"

"You're coming with me to the principal's office, young lady!" Mrs. Uzumaki yelled, dragging Kaoru away from the blacktop and into the school building.

When they got there, Mrs. Uzumaki wasted no time telling the entire story to the principal, Mr. Ginga. Kaoru sat in a chair, looking remorseful, staring down at her balled up hands as Mr. Ginga watched her from the other side of his desk.

"Fujiyama-san. You know it's against the rules to leave school grounds during school hours," Mr. Ginga told her.

"You seriously expected me to just leave that little bird there? I couldn't just leave it there to die!" Kaoru said.

"That's not the issue here, Fujiyama! Ugh! What am I going to do with you?!" Mrs. Uzumaki roared, pushing her hands through her neatly done hair. "Your mischief always brings us nothing but trouble, me especially! I ought to call your parents and have them discipline you strictly!"

"Easy, Uzumaki-sensei," Mr. Ginga told her, but the uptight female teacher wanted to palaver on about Kaoru's troublesome behavior some more. "Anyway, Kaoru. I like that you're a good person, and it's great that you put the little bird back in its nest. But there are rules being enforced, and it's your duty as a student to obey them. Next time something happens, tell a teacher about it," He told her kindly.

"I did that, and they all tell me to move on or get over it!" Kaoru snapped.

Mr. Ginga sighed as he brushed his greying hair with his rugged hand. "Just don't leave the blacktop again. Understand?"

"Yes…" Kaoru muttered sheepishly.

"Good. Now get your things and get to class," Mr. Ginga dismissed her, which prompted Kaoru to leave.

But Mrs. Uzumaki wasn't done yet. "You should have given her a detention! Or even suspended her! You're too soft on that mischievous little tomboy! That's why she always does what she wants without any consideration for the consequences of her conduct!" She roared.

"Stop being so uptight, Uzumaki. Seriously…" Mr. Ginga grumbled as he began working on some paperwork.

* * *

Before the final bell rang, Kaoru met up with her two friends, the brown haired girl and the bespectacled girl with the braids. "Really, Kaoru! You shouldn't have left the blacktop like that! I told you you'd get in trouble, but do you listen?! Nooooo!" The bespectacled girl with braids scolded.

"Calm down, Yumi-chan! I just wanted to put that baby bird back," Kaoru said with her hands up, trying to keep the uptight Yumi out of her personal space.

"She's right. Take a chill pill," The brown haired girl who saved Kaoru deadpanned.

"Why didn't you stop her, Haruka?!" Yumi asked.

"Did I need to?" Haruka asked back.

Yumi facepalmed. "Uuuugh! Really, Kaoru! You never think before you act! I'm surprised you didn't get a detention or even got suspended! Look, it's great that you saved that baby bird, but you could have done it when school ended!"

"It would have died by then!" Kaoru countered.

"Whatever. It's done and over with. Let's get a move on," Haruka said as she packed some of her books in her maroon and black book bag. "Just be happy she wasn't trying to play hooky."

"That's not the issue here! Kaoru always gets herself in trouble with the way she just jumps into every situation without thinking of the consequences! You're no better! You need to start putting more effort into stuff instead of just slacking off!" Yumi scolded.

"Indoor voice, Kazahane!" A teacher exclaimed from her desk, prompting Yumi to slump in her seat with a pouty face.

"I'm just happy I put it back," Kaoru said as she packed some of her schoolbooks in her green book bag. "Hey, Haruma! Are you gonna go to another golf game with your dad again this week?" Kaoru asked.

"Hey yeah. Wouldn't miss one if my life depended on it," Haruka piped in cooly. "What about you? Got any plans for this weekend?"

Kaoru crossed her arms and smiled proudly. "I'm gonna explore that abandoned house in the woods! Abandoned houses always have good stuff stashed away somewhere!" She proclaimed like she was going to explore the high seas.

"You do know nowadays they put security systems on abandoned houses now, right? Like ADT or Lowman Shield? If it goes off, you'll get arrested, and you're in enough trouble as it is," Yumi told her.

"Killjoy," Kaoru muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!" Yumi snapped.

"Hey Yumi. Are you second clarinet in the school band this year?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah. We don't get to perform until the next school soccer game, though," Yumi replied.

"I wish I was good at playing an instrument," Kaoru said.

"I don't. I'm perfectly fine with being average or talentless," Haruka deadpanned.

'_I can't believe my two best friends are a slacker and an adventurous tomboy,'_ Yumi thought before facepalming again.

Soon, the final bell rang. "I'll see you tomorrow!" Kaoru yelled as she waved goodbye to her best friends before running off.

Kaoru knew the way home from school like the back of her hand. Then again, she knew the entire town like the back of her hand. She isn't one to let new territory be unexplored. Her house is just a ten minute walk from the school, and she's been walking to and from school since she was ten. Soon, she arrived at the entrance of a cute looking perfume shop called Parfum Palace.

"I'm home-"

"OOOOH HOHOHOHOHOHO!"

A screechy, loud, nasally laugh ripped Kaoru's ear drums in half. _'Really? I take one step through the door and this is the first thing I hear? Ugh!'_ Kaoru knew that annoying faux noble woman's laugh anywhere.

Standing in front of a perfume display is a girl who looked to be in high school, with beautiful curling blonde hair that sparkled, set off by the girl's chocolate brown eyes. The girl is wearing a red dress with long sleeves with ruffles, tall brown boots, and silver hoop earrings. She's holding a small bottle of green perfume in her hands. "My goodness, this coconut perfume is to die for! I'll take it!"

The blonde girl wasted no time paying for her purchase. Kaoru tried to sneak by her, but the blonde girl glanced at her right away. "I didn't realize you came in, Fujiyama-san!"

"Don't you have piano lessons you need to get to, Hinako?" The cashier said.

"Oh! You're right! I'd best be going! Ta-ta!" Hinako exclaimed happily before taking off.

"That laugh never ceases to make my ears bleed," Kaoru grumbled irritably.

"I heard that, you dirty little rat!" Hinako screeched from outside the door.

"I don't know how you can put up with her, Mom," Kaoru told the cashier.

"My motto is keep calm and carry on. There's some leftover cake in the refrigerator if you want some," Kaoru's mother told her.

"Where's Niou? Isn't she supposed to help you with the store?" Kaoru asked.

"I don't know. She's probably off making out with her boyfriend again. As usual," Kaoru's mother replied in an exasperated tone.

Kaoru went upstairs and plopped into her room. She got out her worksheets and immediately began working on her homework. Despite her adventurous nature, she at least cares about her homework and grades. After about an hour of studying and doing, she finished her homework and put it back in her book bag. She then pulled out an old green notebook and began writing in it with a purple pen. Then she grabbed a fake microphone and began singing.

"_The sweet smell of victory,_

_Wafts in the spring breeze,_

_Encouraging me to go on,_

_And I'll grasp victory for sure!_

_We'll make it through the worst together,_

_And come out better than ever!_

_That's what living life is all about!"_

Kaoru hopped on her bed and made some dramatic poses as she sang, acting like she's some famous singer. But as she sang, she noticed an unusually large butterfly watching her from the window. The butterfly has purple skin and black wings covered with colorful patterns. Kaoru stopped singing to get a closer look, but the butterfly gasped and flew right away. Kaoru donned a disappointed look when it left.

"Aww. I wanted to get a better look at it," Kaoru said as she plopped on her bed. But then an idea flashed in her head. "I know! I'll go out and find it!" Kaoru grabbed her cell phone and ran out of her room. "Hey, Mom! I'm gonna go out for a bit!"

"But you just got back!" Kaoru's mother exclaimed, but her daughter's in too big of a hurry to care. "Be back before dinner!"

"I will, and I have my phone!" Kaoru called back before leaving.

What Kaoru didn't know is that someone watched her run away, and it wasn't any customer or family member, either. This man has spiky, dirty brown hair and green eyes hidden away by a small white face mask. The man is wearing a long sleeved white shirt underneath a brown vest, black pants, and tall brown boots, along with a dark blue cape. His left sleeve is tied up, indicating that he doesn't have a hand on that arm. The man seemed curious as he watched the energetic girl run like the wind. But his eyes donned a malicious glint.

* * *

"I'm gonna find that big butterfly for sure! Maybe it's a new species! Ohhh, if I catch it and show it to the world I'll be famous!" Kaoru exclaimed as she ran into some woods to try and find that big butterfly. That butterfly isn't small like the white ones she'd usually see or even the size of a tennis ball. This butterfly was HUGE, about the size of those fuzzy pillow pets Kaoru would see in toy stores. Kaoru stopped to turn her phone on and kept looking around. She took a while, but so far, no giant butterfly.

"I couldn't have been seeing things. It was in front of my window…" Kaoru mused to herself quietly.

Then she saw something black and purple zip past some trees. A blurry white and green humanoid figure chased after it.

"Whoa! What is that?!" Curious, Kaoru chased after them. They went quite fast, but that doesn't mean Kaoru can't catch up to them. Not only that...they were heading in the direction of her house.

"Go awaaaaaay!" A high pitched voice cried.

"Come back here, you little pest!" A husky, womanly voice shouted angrily.

When Kaoru caught up, she saw an odd sight. A tall woman with long white hair is confronting the butterfly. The woman's snow white hair is tied in two long, curly pigtails, and she has sharp, merciless purple eyes. The woman is wearing a long sleeved green dress that goes down to her knees, white stockings, matching green shoes, and black bracelets on both her wrists. She's also wearing blue eye shadow and black lipstick. The unusually large butterfly from before is trembling with fear, and it's eyes are overflowing with tears. In her arms are three very small portable perfume bottles in three colors: white, green, and yellow.

"Please don't hurt me!" The butterfly pleaded in a high pitched voice, trembling violently and with eyes full of tears.

Kaoru gasped from afar. She kept her hands on her mouth so she wouldn't talk or blow her own cover. _'Whoa! That butterfly can talk?! And why does that woman look like an eighties cosplay reject?! Someone please tell me I'm dreaming!'_ Kaoru thought as she hid in the bushes, trying to keep herself hidden. That woman looks dangerous.

"You better give me those bottles, you little wimp!" The white haired woman shouted before making a ball of white electricity appear in her hand. She threw it at the butterfly, but it managed to fly away, evading the attack.

But what scared Kaoru wasn't that the butterfly was being attacked.

The energy ball hit her family's perfume store.

_BOOM!_ An explosion consumed the front of the store, sending debris everywhere. Soon, a dust cloud billowed into the sky. The explosion was so loud, it prompted neighbors to come out and survey the destruction.

"Oh my goodness! What happened?!"

"The perfume shop! It must have been bombed!"

"The Fujiyamas might be inside! Someone call an ambulance!"

"On it!"

"Oh no!" The butterfly yelled, aghast at the destruction before glaring at the white haired woman. "Why would you do that?! There are people in there! You might have killed them!"

"You're the one that evaded the attack, so it's more your fault than anything!" The white haired woman yelled.

Kaoru couldn't take it anymore. "MOM! DAD!" Kaoru stormed out of the bush to try and get inside the broken entrance. But the smoke was too thick, and the material that surrounded the entrance turned into a wall of debris, making it impossible to get inside. "Mom?! Dad?! Are you okay?! Where are you?!" Kaoru tried to dig through the debris, but some of it was too hot for her to touch. Other rocks were just too heavy for her to move.

However, her anger soon swept over her like a tsunami, and she glared at the white haired woman. "You destroyed part of my home! My family's in there! Do you have any shame for what you just did?! My parents might be dead and it's all your fault!" Kaoru stood before the remains of her store and roared loudly.

"So what? I'm more interested in that little wimp there. Now out of my way or you're gonna get it!" The white haired woman pulled out a whip and cracked it in front of Kaoru, hoping to instill some fear.

But it didn't work. Kaoru stood in front of the store and the butterfly with her arms stretched out and her eyes blazing with courage. "Over my dead body!"

"Run away and get help! Black Locust is dangerous! Don't put yourself in harm's way!" The butterfly pleaded sadly.

"I am NOT running away! Not when my family's stuck in there! I can take you on! Show me what you got, old lady!" Kaoru proclaimed bravely, like a valiant warrior.

"Did you just...call me...old?!" Black Locust roared and cracked her whip again. "My NAME is Black Locust, and I am twenty six years old! I'll teach you to call me old, you loud mouthed brat!" Black Locust roared as she threw her whip at Kaoru. But Kaoru extended her arm, which took the brunt of the attack. People around her immediately began running for their lives. The butterfly yelped with horror.

"No! Why did you do that?! I told you she's dangerous! You have to go somewhere safe!" The butterfly flew to her aid and scolded her tearfully for her recklessness.

"I just told you...I'm not running away. My family's in there...and I'm not leaving them behind. Tell me. What's your name?" Kaoru rubbed the wound on her arm and stood back up.

"I'm...Farfalla…" The butterfly choked out tearfully.

"Nice to meet you, Farfalla. I'm Kaoru, and...hm?" Kaoru's nose was caressed by a sweet smell. "What's that smell? Is it from one of those bottles?"

Farfalla pulled out the bottles she has on her. "What?! You...you can smell one of these?!" Farfalla yelped. Kaoru wasted no time grabbing the white one and smelling it.

"Hm! That smells great!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"No! No no no! Die, you pests!" Black Locust tried to throw her whip at them again, but Kaoru and Farfalla ran away in the nick of time.

"It can't be!" Farfalla exclaimed. "No ordinary human can smell the aromas of the Fragrant Flasks...unless…" It dawned on Farfalla, and her heart blazed with courage. "Kaoru-chan! Smell the flask, yell _'Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!'_ and kiss the top of the bottle!"

Kaoru obeyed Farfalla's orders without question. "Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!" She shouted before kissing the top of the bottle. She found herself encased in a white light that blinded both Farfalla and Black Locust. It lasted for a few minutes until the light ended, and out came Kaoru, but she looked and felt very different.

Her pale brown hair kept its color, but now it's gotten longer, and it's tied in a very long ponytail that streamed down to her knees, held up by a white flower accessory with green leaves protruding from it. On both sides of her head are two white flower accessories. She is now wearing a white, flower-like dress, a taupe brown tie, poofy white wristbands, white stockings, and grey shoes, both with little flower decorations on them.

"The plumeria has the sweet scent of life! Cure Plumeria!" Kaoru, or rather Cure Plumeria, exclaimed proudly before pointing her finger at a flabbergasted Black Locust. "Stop your evil deeds at once, you knave! I am the legendary hero, Pretty Cure!"

Black Locust did a double take. "P-P-P-Pretty Cure?! But...but they're supposed to be a myth!" Black Locust exclaimed, flabbergasted. Cure Plumeria suddenly charged at her, landing a hard kick on her that sent her flying into a tree. "I'll make you pay for that!" Black Locust tried to whip the girl again, but Plumeria caught the whip and yanked it out of her hands.

Right after that, she charged at Black Locust with a flurry of hard hitting punches, all of which BL managed to deflect with just her arms. When punches didn't work, Plumeria tried to land some kicks on her. BL learned her lesson and did her best to evade or deflect them, but some still managed to hit her, sending her rolling on the street. BL tried to lunge at her, but Plumeria dodged it by doing a backflip and landing on the roof of her house before charging back at her with a massive punch to the face. It sent BL rolling on the concrete yet again.

"Why are you...so strong?!" BL asked. "Ugh! My hair is ruined!"

Cure Plumeria pointed her finger at the frazzled BL like she was Phoenix Wright. "You mess with my family, you mess with me, bub!" Cure Plumeria edicted. _'Umm...why am I saying all this weird superhero stuff? And why did my body move on its own?! And since when could I land punches and kicks like a pro wrestler?! And why am I cosplaying?! And why am I actually acting like a real super hero?! But whatever this is, NOBODY messes with MY family!'_ Kaoru thought. She could tell she looked and felt different. She wasn't sure how or why this was happening, but there is one thing she knew for sure: she liked it.

"I'm not done with you yet, you spoiled brat!" BL tried to lunge at her again, but Cure Plumeria grabbed her by the arm and threw her on the ground like she was practicing judo. "OW! That hurt!"

"Good! Now you know how my parents feel being trapped in that rubble you made!" Cure Plumeria exclaimed.

"Aweosme job, Cure Plumeria!" Farfalla cheered, clapping her little hands together.

All of a sudden, she knew what to do next and she didn't know how she knew. She raised her hand in the air. "Gather round, scents of the world!" A white light gathered into her hand, forming a long green stick with a white flower decoration at the end. "Plumeria Wand!" Cure Plumeria made some poses with her new wand, and it glowed in a white light. "Plumeria...FLASH!" A white light shot out of the wand, heading right toward a fearful Black Locust.

"No! I won't-" Black Locust was about to deflect the giant white ball of light. But someone else did.

"What the-?!" Even Cure Plumeria is confused.

As soon as Farfalla saw the person that deflected the energy blast, she screamed and hid behind the white clad girl. "What's wrong, Farfalla?" Cure Plumeria asked.

"Hemlock!" She shouted fearfully, screaming his name like it was the end of the world.

Cure Plumeria whipped her head around to find a strange man standing in between her and Black Locust. The man has spiky pale brown hair and green eyes, his face donning a small white eye mask. He's wearing a long sleeved shirt, a brown vest, black pants, and tall brown boots, along with a dark blue cape. The man donned a very grim and serious look on his face.

"Yes. I am Hemlock," The masked man said in a low, solemn voice.


	2. What's All This Precure Stuff About?

Chapter 2: What's All This Pretty Cure Stuff About?

Kaoru, now Cure Plumeria, thought that she was in some magical girl anime for a moment.

Within twenty minutes, a white haired woman in green appears chasing after a talking butterfly, and now she's turned into a magical girl super hero with superpowers and super strength. Kaoru thought she was dreaming at first. But she knew in her heart that she wasn't. This is real. The destruction of the front of her family's perfume shop proved it. She wished she could just go in there, find her family, and make sure they're alright. But if she did, she might let her guard down, and BL and Hemlock might kill her and Farfalla right then and there.

"Okay, who are these people and why are they attacking us?" Cure Plumeria asked the still trembling Farfalla.

"They're...part of an organization called Poison Pride. They hate nice aromas and smells, and apparently they either want to poison everyone or make the world stink! But it's mostly me they're after. They want these Fragrant Flasks," Farfalla explained as lucidly as she could, even though she's still crying her eyes out, clinging to Plumeria's back. She still kept the Fragrant Flasks in her stubby little hands.

Hemlock gave her an icy stare that froze her in place, but Plumeria adopted a battle stance with her Plumeria Wand in hand. Hemlock simply extended his hand out. "If you want to avoid trouble, give me those bottles," He told her in an icy but nice male voice, even though his tone is anything but nice.

Cure Plumeria gave him her own icy look. "Why should I? What do you want with them?!" She yelled.

"That's none of your business. Just hand them to me. Yours, also," Hemlock told her.

"No! Never!" Cure Plumeria snapped.

"Hemlock! Why did you have to steal my thunder?! I was gonna take those flasks from that wimpy butterfly!" Black Locust complained.

"With that embarrassing performance you put on, I don't think so," Hemlock told her coldly, without mincing words. "You're a disgrace to Poison Pride. I really don't see why Darnel hasn't allowed me to kill you yet."

"Plumeria Flash!" Noticing that Hemlock let his guard down, Cure Plumeria decided to launch another attack. Unfortunately, like before, Hemlock stopped the attack by blocking it with his hand and making it disappear.

"Careful! Hemlock's both the strongest and meanest Poison Pride member ever!" Farfalla cried.

"Don't think you're so strong, you little brat. You're nothing but a stupid little girl. Hand over the butterfly! Her worthless existence is both a liability to Poison Pride and a waste of space on the rest of the world!" Hemlock told her coldly.

That did it for Plumeria. Something inside her snapped, and she wasted no time calling him out on his venomous words. "How can you say that?! You seriously think a creature like her is a waste of space, worthless, and should kill herself?! You're horrible, you know that?!" With a mighty roar, Plumeria charged at the callous masked man, hoping to punch his lights out and make him eat his words. But Hemlock deflected her punch with his arm. But that didn't stop Plumeria from trying again, this time with more punches and kicks. Hemlock deflected them all, but she didn't care. But oh, how she yearned to kick his slimy little butt!

"Too easy," Using his same arm, Hemlock pulled out a long rapier and pointed it at Plumeria, but she held it off with her wand. All of a sudden, Plumeria used her foot to strike a blow to Hemlock's abdomen, rendering him unable to breathe and causing him to drop his sword. She punched him in the jaw right then and there, sending him rolling on the concrete. Boy, did that feel good.

"That's what you get for being cruel and self-absorbed, you psycho!" Cure Plumeria exclaimed boldly. But Hemlock got right back up, charged at her quicker than she could dodge, and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up like she was a rag doll. Cure Plumeria couldn't breathe. Her neck is being squeezed by this man's hand. She tried to claw at his hand to make him let go, but nothing she did worked.

"Both you and that butterfly are of no use to this world. You're better off dead, you parasite," Hemlock sneered coldly.

"Alright! That is enough!" Black Locust suddenly screamed, karate chopping Hemlock's arm, freeing Cure Plumeria from his grasp. She gasped a huge breath of air, happy that she isn't suffocating anymore.

"Plumeria!" Farfalla ran to her aid. "You okay?!"

"Sort...of…" Plumeria croaked as she tried to breathe.

"What are you-?!" Hemlock tried to yell at Black Locust, but she grabbed his free arm and they both teleported away.

Right then and there, Kaoru turned back to normal. Farfalla heard human voices nearby, so she flew to the roof of Parfum Palace. Kaoru got back on her feet and looked around. "Where'd they go?"

"KAORU!" Kaoru's mother shouted as she ran from the back of the house, right toward her flabbergasted daughter, trapping her in a tight, tearful embrace. A brown haired man in his forties came up behind her with a very relieved look on his face. "Oh my goodness! I'm so happy you're safe!" Kaoru's mother cried happily as she squeezed her daughter tight, like she never wanted to let go.

Realizing that this wasn't a dream, Kaoru hugged her mother back. Her dad joined in on the group hug. "Mom! Dad! I thought you were done for!" Kaoru cried. "How'd you manage to escape?!"

"Your mother and I were in the basement when the explosion happened, so nobody's hurt. Thank goodness for that," Kaoru's father explained calmly but kindly. "We got out through the back door and called for help."

Police sirens echoed in the air, getting louder as the cars came closer. Kaoru was given permission to go to her room while her mother and father stayed outside to report this to the police. Kaoru couldn't wait to get to her room, but since the entrance is blocked, she went through the back door since it was unlocked. When she ran to her room, she plopped onto her bed like she was tired from running a marathon.

"Uuuugh! Too much craziness in one day!" Kaoru complained, her voice muffled by her pillows. Farfalla flew next to her and smiled sweetly.

"Umm...thank you...for helping me…" Farfalla told her shyly but politely.

Kaoru immediately pulled her head out of the pillows and sat in a criss-cross pretzel position on her bed. "You're welcome! But...I need some intel. What's all this weirdness going on? Pretty Cure? Poison Pride? What is all this? And what are you and where did you come from? Are you some kind of magical fairy from those anime shows? And how am I able to transform into some magical girl superhero? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to do all this! But I need some clarification first."

"Okay okay. One question at a time!" Farfalla said, holding her little hands up, a little overwhelmed by Kaoru's incessant line of questioning. "To begin, my name's Farfalla, and I'm a guardian deity of a new world called Fragrant Peaks."

"Whoa whoa whoa! There are other worlds out there?! With oxygen and ozone layers and everything?!" Kaoru yelped.

Farfalla smiled sweetly and nodded. "Yep! My mother Arome and I created it. It's a wonderful place with lots of beautiful flowers and shining lakes and green meadows and all that good stuff! But we're the only ones living on it so far, so there isn't anything else on it. Oh! Arome is the creator of Fragrant Peaks. She's actually a deity that's been living in your world in secret, but when she gained access to some foreign energy, she found that she could create things of her own free will, so she thought it'd be a great idea to make her own world. It's called Fragrant Peaks because she wanted it to be full of lovely smells and aromas. Kind of like daily aromatherapy," Farfalla explained. "But I don't know how she got her powers, though. Sorry."

"That's okay," Kaoru said.

"Anyway, she also created these Fragrant Flasks," Farfalla showed Kaoru the two small bottles she was carrying. "She was going to create her own royal guard, a group of humans named Pretty Cure who would be tasked to guard Fragrant Peaks and fight off evil doers. The only humans capable of becoming Pretty Cure are people who can smell the scents of the Fragrant Flasks...and you're one of them!" Farfalla explained.

"But how am I able to smell them? Did they...choose me or something?" Kaoru asked.

"The Fragrant Flasks choose the humans they want to give their powers to. People with strong, kind hearts who wish to protect everything that's important to them. You might have fit their criteria," Farfalla said. But as soon as she finished, a dark look appeared on her small, purple face. Kaoru could tell she was getting to a sad part of the story.

"Let me guess. Poison Pride," Kaoru said.

Farfalla nodded grimly. "A friend of ours named Darnel got access to the same energy, and she created three humans to see if humanoid life could live on Fragrant Peaks. But something went wrong. I don't know what, but...one of them came into Fragrant Peaks, and before we could do anything, they completely usurped Arome from her throne and took over our planet. They turned it into a horrible, smelly dump! They wanted to take the Fragrant Flasks away as well, but I managed to take them and run away."

"Now I wish I became a Pretty Cure earlier, so I could have stopped them," Kaoru said.

"Oh no no. They're too powerful for you to handle alone, especially Hemlock," Farfalla told her. "But...I am happy you're willing to help me. I'm just sorry you had to get dragged into this mess in the first place. I wish I was stronger so I could have at least taken them on."

"It's okay! I'd love to be a cool superhero! I used to watch Superman cartoons all the time when I was younger. Now I can live the dream!" Kaoru exclaimed happily with a finger snap. "So we just need to find other Cures, right?"

Farfalla nodded. "Yep! But there's something else, too," Farfalla added. "Arome told me she made a special plant called the Fioret. She said it'd be able to help the Poison Pride, but she lost it on her journey to Earth once. We looked all over for it but we haven't found it."

"I see. Well, I'm not gonna sit here and let those guys do what they want, so count me in!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Kaoru! Dinner's ready!" Kaoru's father called out.

"Coming!" Kaoru called back before turning to Farfalla. "I'll bring some up for you when I'm done. Okay?"

"Okay! I'll stay here and be extra quiet," Farfalla said.

Kaoru stormed down the stairs, her nostrils entranced by the smell of meat loaf, mandarin oranges, rice pilaf, and corn. Her favorite dinner. But she had to admit, she's happy that her parents are safe. She didn't know what she'd do if the explosion killed them. But she decided to forget about it now. They're safe, and that's what matters. When she finished, she made sure to get extra food for Farfalla, and the grateful butterfly fairy chowed down like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Kaoru found herself happy that she found a new friend, even if this friend is a talking butterfly fairy with a lot of baggage on her tiny little back.

When night fell, Kaoru and Farfalla slept, dreaming some nice, pleasant dreams. Unfortunately for Kaoru, at about midnight, the sound of yelling yanked her and Farfalla out of dreamland. Quite harshly, at that.

"Niou! Where in the world have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried your father and I have been?"

"Get outta my face!"

"I want answers now! You haven't been going to those wild drug parties again, have you?"

"Go away! I'm sick of you nagging all the time! Shut your mouth for once!"

"Who is that?" Farfalla asked fearfully.

"My sister, Niou. She's been hanging with the wrong crowd lately, and Mom and Dad are at their wit's end," Kaoru explained in a low whisper.

"If you keep this up, you'll ruin your life!"

"At least I have a life, unlike you!"

"Fujiyama Niou, I am sick of being treated this way! I am your mother and you are going to-" _SLAM!_ Niou slammed the door so hard it made everyone flinch. Farfalla wasted no time going back to bed, even though the sound of Niou's yelling kept on ringing in her ears. Kaoru did the same, but the dreams that encased her mind weren't so pleasant this time.

* * *

Fragrant Peaks used to be a beautiful place, abundant with flowers and lakes. But now it is nothing but a wasteland, smelling like rotten cheese and roadkill, with some flies buzzing around. The castle is still the way it is, but everyone stayed on the main floor. Hiding behind a support beam is a girl of about twenty five years old, with curling orange hair that went down to her shoulders and ocean blue eyes, full of fear and fright. The girl is wearing a very poofy pink and white sweet lolita dress decked with ribbons and bows, pink and white socks, white shoes, and a pale pink ribbon on both sides of her head. In her hands is a pink and white umbrella, also decked with ribbons and bows. She's hiding behind a support beam because Hemlock and Black Locust are arguing like cats and dogs.

"You're a disgrace to the Poison Pride! You're so stupid you can't even take little perfume bottles from a wimpy butterfly!"

"I would have if you hadn't butted in like you always do! You always do this to me!"

"At least I'M good at it, unlike you!"

"Stop being such a self-absorbed idiot!"

"Stop fighting!" The orange haired girl cried desperately.

"You shut your trap, Foxglove! Nobody asked for your worthless opinion!" Hemlock roared.

Black Locust slapped him across the face right then and there, but he didn't seem fazed. He barely even noticed. "Don't you DARE talk to Fox that way! You mess with her, you mess with me!"

"You know it and I know it! She's even more useless than you could ever be! All she does is sit around the castle and play dress up! Why can't she go out and make the world stink?!" Hemlock roared, unabashedly pointing to a frightened Foxglove, singling her out like she was an ugly duckling.

"If she doesn't want to do this, then she doesn't! You can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to!" Black Locust yelled.

"I can, and I will! It's her duty as a member of Poison Pride!" Hemlock yelled and was about to approach Foxglove, until he felt yet another slap to the face. "Fine! Be like that! You two make me sick!" Hemlock sneered as he walked away.

The angry look from Black Locust's face immediately morphed into concern and sympathy as Foxglove fell to her knees, shaking like a leaf and more scared than a deer caught in headlights. BL kneeled down to her frightened friend and stroke her cheek. "Are you alright, dear?"

Foxglove nodded, still clinging to her umbrella like it was dear life. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Hemlock's just an uptight stick in the mud who thinks he can order everyone around. Don't listen to him. I know Darnel wouldn't like his behavior."

"Lorraine?" Foxglove whispered shyly.

"Yes?"

"Why do we have to live like this?" Foxglove asked, her voice trembling. "I mean, isn't there some other way we can survive instead of having to smell horrible stuff every day? I don't like being surrounded by rotten cheese and roadkill and dead stuff!"

Lorraine's heart went out to the still trembling girl. But what could they do? She didn't know of any other alternatives. She stroke her orange head of hair gently. "I know, Fox. I don't like it anymore than you do. But there's no other way we can survive, and we certainly can't survive on Earth. You saw what the smells there did to Hemlock's arm. If we don't keep something smelly with us, we'll disintegrate or die," Lorraine told her.

A memory of Hemlock screaming in excruciating pain flashed through her mind. Part of his left arm turned black and fell to pieces upon touching some lavender flowers. Lorraine cringed upon hearing that horrible scream again. "How's Darnel doing?"

"Fine. I just wish she could talk again, though. I bet she doesn't like being a doll," Foxglove replied.

"I'm sure she appreciates you taking good care of her and dressing her up in those cute outfits you make. You just keep doing what you're doing. Okay, sweetie?" Lorraine ruffled Fox's hair again with a smile. This made her fear go away, and Fox smiled at her dear friend. Lorraine planted a kiss on her friend's cheek before leaving. Foxglove decided to leave as well, feeling better.

* * *

The next morning, Kaoru trotted off to school like she usually did, waking up early to pack her lunch box, put on some new clothes, and get her stuff together. When she came onto the blacktop, she saw her bespectacled friend Yumi sitting on the bleachers, playing her clarinet peacefully, with Haruka lying right next to her.

"Hi Yumi-chan! Hi Haruma!" Kaoru called out as she approached her two gal pals.

Yumi stopped playing her clarinet and put it back in its case. "Morning, Kaoru."

"That sounded great!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Thanks. I'm trying to get as much practice in as I can," Yumi said.

"Hey Kao. Did you see the news this morning?" Haruka asked in a low, tired voice.

"What's up?" Kaoru asked.

"Some superhero named Cure Plumeria showed up and took on some crook who totaled your store," Haruka told her.

"Ack!" Kaoru irked. Her battle with Lorraine and Hemlock was on the news? _'Seriously?! Someone put my battle with them on the news?! Oh no! I hope they don't know Cure Plumeria is me! Everyone might flip out!'_ Kaoru thought, hoping that nobody knows that Cure Plumeria is her.

Yumi donned a worried look. "I hear someone bombed your store. I tried to go and visit you but my parents needed me at home. Are you and your family okay?" Yumi told her with eyes brimming with concern.

"Everything's all good! Mom and Dad are a-okay!" Kaoru exclaimed cheerfully.

Yumi smiled. "Thank goodness. I was afraid something bad might have happened to you," Yumi told her.

"No worries! I don't go down that easily!" Kaoru said.

"Good thing, too," Haruka added.

"Oh! Kao-chan! I'm not sure if you know, but Orihara Nina has a new CD coming out!" Yumi said.

"I know, right?! I'm SO begging Mom and Dad to get it for me for my birthday!"

"Me too!"

The bell rang right then, so everyone had to go inside for school. During homeroom, Yumi watched as Kaoru and Haruka got caught up in some hearty conversation. She smiled at them from afar. _'Kaoru...really, I'm glad you're safe. I'd cry forever if something bad happened to you...my best friend...'_ Yumi thought wistfully as she found herself taking a trip down memory lane.

(flashback)

_A ten-year-old Yumi tried to escape a group of girls, but they managed to catch her and throw her against the chain link fence. One girl with blonde pigtails gripped the front of Yumi's shirt tightly, her eyes brimming with scorn, not intent on letting go anytime soon. "Get off me!" Yumi kicked the girl in retaliation and managed to free herself from her grasp. The blonde girl, accompanied by three others, kept Yumi in a corner, all with their arms crossed._

"_That's what you get for telling the teacher on me! I got a bad grade on my test because of you!" The blonde girl yelled._

"_It's your own fault for cheating! You should know better than to cheat!" Yumi snapped. But one girl suddenly yanked her glasses off her face and threw them on the concrete. _CRACK!_ With her foot, she stomped on Yumi's glasses, smashing them into little tiny pieces. "My glasses!"_

_All the girls in the clique laughed scornfully, like they were watching a funny show. But to Yumi, this wasn't funny at all. "Get over yourself, Kazahane! Nobody likes a wimpy little goody-goody two shoes like you!"_

"_Yeah! You're ugly!"_

"_And stupid!"_

"_You're a freak!"_

"_You'll never be popular!"_

"_Leave her alone!" An unfamiliar voice made everyone turn around. Much to their horror, a girl with pale brown hair is charging at them with a stick in her hand, like she's a knight on a horse charging in to save a damsel in distress. "Back! Get back, you idiots! Go away!" The brown haired girl swiped that stick at them like she was a knight fighting off monsters._

"_Aw man! It's the crazy tomboy! Run!" A red haired girl exclaimed before running away. Everyone else followed suit._

"_You go away!" The blonde girl snapped._

"_You go away, fatso!" Kaoru yelled._

_That did it for the blonde girl. "I AM NOT FAT!" With a great growl, the blonde girl leaped on the brown haired girl while everyone else ran for their lives...except for Yumi, who watched in awe. She couldn't believe someone actually came to save her. Soon, a male teacher came in and pulled the two unruly girls away from each other, preventing a potential bloodbath._

"_Break it up! Break it up, you two! You're coming with me right now!" The male teacher dragged the girls away. Yumi picked up the broken pieces of her glasses and went back inside._

_She went through the rest of the day without glasses, but she didn't mind. Her eyesight wasn't straight up bad. Later on, she managed to find the brown haired girl. She had band-aids on her left cheek, chin, and above her left eyebrows, along with some on her arms. Shyly, Yumi approached the girl. "Um...hi."_

"_Hey! You're the girl from earlier! Are you okay?"_

"_Y-Yes. But are you okay? You look like you got hurt pretty bad."_

"_Eh, this is nothing. Miya and I have detention tomorrow after school, but it's worth it. Anyway, I'm Fujiyama Kaoru! What's your name?"_

"_Ka-Ka-Kazahane Yumi…" Yumi replied shyly._

"_Hey! Yumi's my great grandmother's name! By the way, I hear you're good at the clarinet. I've heard you play a couple times. You're awesome, you know that?" Kaoru told her cheerfully._

_Yumi blushed. "You think so? Thanks…"_

"_I'd love it if we could hang out some time," Kaoru said._

"_Um...exactly why did you save me?"_

"_Do you really need a reason to help somebody? Besides, that Miya girl shouldn't have bullied you like that. All she cares about is blaming other people for stuff she does and never wants to fess up to her own mistakes. I hate people like that, y'know?"_

_Yumi giggled a little. "I agree. I don't like cheaters."_

_Later on, classes resumed. But Yumi thought she might have found a potential friend. And she did._

(end flashback)

At lunch time, Kaoru, Yumi, and Haruka noticed that everyone was talking about what they saw on the news.

"Can you believe superheroes actually exist?! I thought they were just cartoons!"

"I know! But Cure Plumeria's outfit is so adorable!"

"If you ask me she's a hero in fashion!"

"She totally ripped that white haired lady a new one!"

"I wish I could meet her someday! She must be really cool!"

"I love that attack she used!"

'_Wow. When did I get a fanbase?'_ Kaoru asked herself. But she had a feeling she was going to like the attention, even if it's more toward Cure Plumeria and not Kaoru.

"Jeez. It's so loud in here. Can't they just get over it?" Haruka deadpanned before chomping on a granola bar.

"Buzzkill," Kaoru sneered. All Yumi did was eat her taiyaki.

When the final bell ended, Kaoru trotted back home merrily. She noticed that while the debris from yesterday's explosion is gone, there's a chain around the entrance, with a yellow sign that says _CLOSED_ hanging from it. Another sign on the wall says _'Due to the explosion damaging our stock, we have decided to close for now until the shop is back to normal. We apologize for the inconvenience.'_ After that, she spent the day doing homework and singing.


	3. Cure Muguet

Chapter 3: The Sweet Lily of the Valley Blooms! Cure Muguet!

On the top floor of what's left of Fragrant Peaks' castle, one person's room is completely different from the repulsive, horrible environment surrounding it. Foxglove sat in her room, in front of her desk, dressing up a cute, fluffy rabbit plush. Said rabbit doll has pale brown fur, long, floppy ears, little black eyes sewn on its face, a little pink triangular nose, a little black mouth sewn on it, and it's dressed in a cute little pink and white dress decked with ribbons, bows, and satin. Foxglove straightened out the rabbit's ears, hoping they look straight. Foxglove opened a small drawer, pulled out a pink and white lace ribbon, and gently placed it on the rabbit doll's right ear.

Foxglove smiled sweetly and clasped her thin little hands together with joy. "There! Now you're perfect, Darnel-sama!" Foxglove crooned sweetly. She then pulled out another ribbon-the same one-and placed it in her own hair. She looked in her mirror to see how it looked. "We match! Don't I look cute?"

The rabbit plush-Darnel-said nothing.

Foxglove's cheerful expression faded, now being replaced with a sad one. "I wish you could talk like before. I know you're low on energy and all, but aren't you hungry? Thirsty? How do I know you're not starving for something to eat right now, and dolls don't eat!"

She was about to contemplate some more until she heard a knock on her door. "Fox? Can I come in?" It was Lorraine's voice.

"Yes! Door's unlocked!" Foxglove called out, giving Lorraine permission to come in. Lorraine immediately noticed the glum look on her friend's face.

"How's Darnel?" Lorraine asked.

Foxglove looked down at her hands. "I wish I knew. She's probably starving, and I feel so bad I can't give her anything because dolls can't eat! I know she's low on energy, but I wish she could talk or at least open her mouth so I could give her something! And how can she even go to the bathroom?! Maybe she can't?! Worrying about this is driving me crazy!" Foxglove exclaimed worriedly. Lorraine frowned a bit.

"I know this is hard. I wish we could do more for Darnel in her condition. But for now, we just have to believe that she's alright," Lorraine told her reassuringly. But Foxglove could tell that it sounded somewhat forced.

"But what if she isn't?! What if she's actually dying inside?! What if she dies right in front of us and we have know way of knowing it?!" Foxglove yelped hysterically, flailing her arms around until Lorraine grabbed them and put them down.

"Fox. I know how you feel. But at this point, we can't do much for her, and I think you're overthinking this a little. Try to relax. Darnel's just low on energy, that's all, and you know she's a spirit. Spirits technically don't need to eat or drink," Lorraine said.

Foxglove cocked her head to one side. "How do you know?"

"Darnel told me once, before Hemlock...y'know," Lorraine said, her face cringing a little upon remembering Hemlock's agonizing screams and his arm falling off. Lorraine shook her head to push those memories to the wayside. "But I'm sure Darnel's happy with you taking care of her," Lorraine told her before pecking her with a kiss on her forehead. "Have a little faith, okay?"

Foxglove smiled a bit, her cheeks adopting pink tints. "Sure. I'll try."

Lorraine smiled back. "That's the sweet Foxglove I know."

"I put Darnel in a new dress," Foxglove said before grabbing the rabbit plush and showing it to Lorraine. "How does it look? I bought it some time ago."

"She looks adorable!" Lorraine exclaimed cheerfully. "But I don't know if Darnel likes that kind of stuff, though."

"Yeah, good point. I wish she could talk so she could tell us what she wants or needs," Foxglove said as she put Darnel on her bed, surrounding her with many other stuffed animals.

"Well, I'm going to take a walk on Earth. Okay? If I see something cool, I'll pick it up for us, okay?" Lorraine said.

"Okay! I'll keep Darnel-sama safe and sound!" Foxglove chirped with a sweet smile.

"I'm not worried about that. Ciao!" Lorraine said before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"I wonder when Orihara Nina's new CD is gonna come out? I wish it'd come out soon!" Foxglove mused as she went in her closet to do some organizing, with Darnel watching her from her bed.

* * *

"Hey, girls!" Kaoru exclaimed during lunch, her blue eyes twinkling like the ocean at sunset. "Wanna go to Ice Cream Garden after school?"

Haruka chomped on some anpan while Yumi read through a copy of Japanese folk tales. She just happened to finish the famous Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. "Shurr. I kood go for shum aysh kreem," Haruka said with what was left of the anpan hanging right out of her mouth, right before shoving the whole thing in her mouth.

Yumi didn't take her eyes out of her book one bit. "Haruka. You know it's rude to talk with your mouth full," Yumi told her.

"You buzzkill," Haruka said normally, having swallowed what was left of her sweet anpan.

Yumi smiled. "I'll go with you, Kaoru. I've been craving peanut butter fudge swirl ice cream for a week now," Yumi said, again not taking her eyes out of her book.

"I've been craving pistachio pizazz," Haruka added before opening a can of soda and drinking it.

"Awesome! So we leave right after school!" Kaoru cheered, shoving her fist in the air like she was cheering for someone on a baseball team. "I'm so happy it's so close to our school. It's no wonder almost everybody goes there."

"I'm just glad Omi's finally closed. Did you know they make their food out of animal poop? They don't even bother to drain the blood from their meat! Ugh! Gross!" Yumi exclaimed, her face contorting with disgust.

Haruka stared off into space. "I liked their green tea cake rolls," She mused.

"My brother did, too," Yumi added.

As happy as Kaoru is about Yumi and Haruka getting together with her at their favorite hotspot, the gossip about Cure Plumeria's heroic exploits continued. She wished she could tell everybody that she was Cure Plumeria, the hero. But what if they stop idolizing her the minute they find out? Kaoru decided to keep silent. "I wonder if Cure Plumeria's gonna show up later?"

"Come on! It's gotta be some weirdo dressing up and pretending to be some big shot superhero! Or they must have been showing some movie!"

"Those magical attacks weren't special effects, y'know! My dad makes special effects for movies, and those weren't special effects!"

"Prove it!"

"I just love Cure Plumeria's outfit! It's so cute!"

"I'm gonna cosplay as her!"

Once lunch ended, the girls spent time together during recess. Once recess was over, classes went on like usual. Soon, the final bell rang, and the kids were nothing short of overjoyed to finally get out of school for the day. Kaoru was about to meet up with Yumi and Haruka until she noticed a familiar large butterfly waving at her from a nearby bush. "Farfalla," She exclaimed, running up to her. "What are you doing here? Someone'll see you."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to see where you go every day so in case there's trouble, I can let you know," Farfalla replied in a soft whisper so nobody would hear her.

"Okay. Just be careful not to get spotted. My friends and I are gonna go to this place called Ice Cream Garden. It has really good ice cream. I can pick some up for you if you want," Kaoru told her.

"That'd be great. Thank you! I'm actually going to look for the Fioret some more. I'll meet you there after about half an hour. Okay?" Farfalla said.

Kaoru nodded. "Kaoru! What are you doing?" Yumi called out.

"Be there in a second!" Kaoru yelled before turning back to Farfalla. "Bye," She whispered before running off. Farfalla simply smiled and flew away.

But fate had other plans.

Kaoru, Yumi, and Haruka made it to the ice cream place without difficulty, even though there was a long line of kids. Farfalla, on the other hand, simply flew through the town, looking for the Fioret. She looked behind houses, in the forest, in creeks, in back yards. Nothing. No sign of the Fioret. "It's not here. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough," She noticed a street sign that read Hanayama. "I haven't been down here. I'll take a look and see if it's here," Farfalla whispered to herself as she flew down the street. She made sure to keep a low profile and fly near places she could hide in so nobody would see her. She didn't want Lorraine or Hemlock chasing after her again.

The only problem is, a chocolate lab caught her passing by. "ARF ARF ARF!" As soon as the dog saw Farfalla, it barked and leaped off the front porch to chase her. No, it doesn't have a collar on or a leash.

"Oh no!" Farfalla heard the dog bark and tried to fly away, thinking it might want to eat her. She had to escape. But the dog proved to be quite agile and kept chasing her. Farfalla flapped her wings as hard as she could, but they were getting tired. "Somebody help meeeeeee!" Farfalla cried, her wings throbbing from fatigue. She found herself falling on someone's porch, unable to keep her eyes open. She inhaled huge amounts of breath, her wings burning from flapping so hard. She figured this was the end of her.

Or was it?

"Ayaka! You ran away from your house again! Bad dog!" A little girl's voice shouted firmly out of nowhere. But Farfalla could hear it clear as day despite being unconscious. "Go back to your house right now, or Mika-san's gonna get worried!" She felt herself getting picked up and carried somewhere. She kept on hearing the voice. "Mom! Ayaka's at our house again!"

"Is she, really? Stay here, Suzu. I'll take her back home. Goodness, Mika-san really needs to put that dog in training classes," An older female voice said, disappearing into the darkness.

Farfalla wasn't sure how long she had been out. But the sweet smell of posies awoke her from her sleep. Farfalla found herself inside someone's house. She wasn't sure how she got here, but she assumed someone must have found her and took her inside, probably to protect her from the dog. But she found herself liking this bedroom. Everything in it either had fake flowers on them or flower designs embroidered on them. The bed she was on was white, with yellow sunflower designs all over it, from the pillows to the blankets, fake stems included. There were blue flowers on the white curtains. The rug on the floor had white, purple, and yellow flower designs on it. The only things that didn't have flowers on them were the mahogany dresser and the computer desk, and even those had some fake flowers attached to them manually. The computer had yellow, blue, and pink flowers as a desktop wallpaper.

The whole room seemed like a land of flowers.

Not only that, the window overlooked a small garden. Posies and pansies popped up from the soil, blooming vivaciously. "Wow!" The window was open, so Farfalla flew out and descended on the garden. Once she found herself in front of some posies, she used her hand to turn her mouth into a proboscis, stuck it in the center of the flower, and sucked the nectar right out of it. Already, she felt better. Once she finished, she turned her mouth back to normal and flew back into the room.

"Posies are my favorite! Whoever this room belongs to must be a wonderful person who loves flowers!" Farfalla exclaimed, giddy over all the nectar she just sucked out. But the minute she opened her eyes, she froze with fear.

A girl of about twelve years old stood at the door with a dumbfounded look on her face. Farfalla didn't move a muscle, but in her mind, she was screaming. 'OH NOOO! Did she just catch me talking to myself?! I got found out! What do I dooooo?!' Farfalla screamed in her head, her entire body brimming with fear of the worst.

But she did manage to get a good look at the girl. She had pale skin and short, raven black hair, neatly cut and arranged in a straight princess style with no split ends. She also had stunning green eyes, shining like emeralds. She was wearing a short sleeved white shirt with some ruffles going down her chest covered by a grey unzipped hoodie, and blue jean shorts going down to her knees. Tucked neatly in her hair is a big white flower decoration. To the rational person, they would find her cute. But to Farfalla, all she could think about was that she had been found out, and that the worst may happen.

Thankfully, the worst didn't happen. Instead of screaming and freaking out, the girl's eyes sparkled brightly with delight, framed with a radiant smile. "Oh my gosh! A talking butterfly!" She chirped in a clear, pretty voice. "This is so cool!"

"Wait…" Farfalla did a double take. "What?"

"You're a real talking butterfly, aren't you? You're really real! This is awesome!" The girl squealed happily.

Gradually, Farfalla calmed down, and her fearful thoughts began to leave her mind. "You're...not afraid of me?"

"Nope!" The girl shook her head vigorously. "I think you're cool! And pretty, too!"

"You're...not gonna hurt me, are you?" Farfalla asked fearfully, still keeping up her guard.

The girl's smile faded immediately after she heard that. "No. Why would I do that? I'm not mean."

'_Anyone who loves flowers this much can't be mean,'_ Farfalla thought, already wishing she hadn't asked that question. "Sorry. I…"

"Sorry! I didn't scare you, did I? I didn't mean to," The girl said apologetically, thinking she might have done something wrong.

"No no. It's fine. Umm...did you...save me from that dog earlier?"

"Yep! Don't worry about Ayaka. She's not mean. She just loves to chase anything and everything and runs away a lot. Um...what's your name?" The girl explained kindly.

"I'm...Farfalla. And you?"

"Tani Suzuran, but most people call me Suzu," Suzuran bowed politely as she introduced herself.

'_She seems nice. I need to stop being afraid of everything,'_ Farfalla thought with a smile, having calmed down. "It's...nice to meet you, Suzu-chan."

"So what are you? Are you some kind of magical alien from another planet? Oh, wait! It's 3:40! I gotta water my flowers! Wanna come with me?"

"Uh...sure…" Farfalla followed Suzuran out the door.

* * *

Kaoru, Yumi, and Haruka sat at a table outside the shop, consuming their ice cream and exchanging a few words every now and again. But Kaoru looked at her watch. It was 3:45. She kept looking around. 'Where's Farfalla at? I got her some ice cream, and it might melt soon,' Kaoru thought worriedly, wondering if she was going to show up.

"What's wrong, Kaoru? You look worried," Haruka asked in a low voice.

"Me? Oh, it's nothing!" Kaoru told her sheepishly. She felt bad about lying to her, but she didn't want to think about what could happen if they found out about Farfalla and Pretty Cure. Thankfully, Haruka seemed to buy it.

Yumi stood up. "I have to go now. I'll see you two tomorrow, okay?" She waved at them before trotting off.

"Okay! Bye!" Kaoru waved as Yumi turned the corner.

Haruka stood up as well. "I gotta go, too. Whoever that ice cream's for, make sure it doesn't melt. Okay?" Haruka said with a mischievous smile.

"Sure. Got it. You have a good day."

"You too," With that, Haruka trotted off. Kaoru picked up the vanilla ice cream she got for Farfalla and began looking around the area. Some worries began to bloom in her heart. Did Farfalla get lost? Could she have run into Hemlock and gotten hurt? Did someone else catch her? Kaoru shook her head. _'Stop thinking so much, Kaoru! You just gotta look for her, that's all. I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Maybe she's still looking for that Fioret flower and lost track of time, that's all,'_ Kaoru told herself, hoping to convince herself that Farfalla is okay.

Which she is. She tried not to go too far from home, but she did try going down some streets she hadn't been down before. No Farfalla in sight, and the ice cream is startling to melt a little.

* * *

Suzuran turned on a faucet in her back yard and filled up a small watering can with water. She turned it off, carried it to the garden underneath her window, and sprinkled water all over her beloved flowers. She kept at it for about ten or so minutes, but Farfalla found herself awestruck. The fact that she cared so much about all of these flowers and has so many flower themed items in her room told her all she needed to know about her.

"Flowers have to be watered every day so they can bloom and be all pretty," Suzuran said as she watered a small pot of petunias. Farfalla couldn't help but notice that Suzuran truly came alive when she was with her flowers.

"Did you plant all of these?" Farfalla asked, hoping to make conversation.

"No. My mom did. She likes gardening, and I do too, but I'm not very good at it," Suzuran replied sheepishly.

"But you are good at it! The flowers tell me that you shower them with love and care every single day, and you seem to know when they get full or not," Farfalla explained.

Suzuran tilted her head to one side. "You can talk to flowers?"

"Sort of. Not talk to them per se, but I can hear their voices. My mother can, too," Farfalla replied.

"Where's your mom?"

"She's away right now, looking for something."

Suzuran noticed the flasks. "What are those?"

"These?" Farfalla pulled out the flasks. "These are Fragrant Flasks. Only special people can smell them."

"Can I try?" Suzuran asked curiously.

"Hmm...sure, but I doubt you'll smell their aromas," As reluctant as she was to do so, Farfalla handed her both flasks. Suzuran seemed gentle, since she cares for her flowers so much.

Suzuran smelled the yellow flask first. "I don't smell anything from this," She said, handing it back to Farfalla. She sniffed the green flask last. A sweet, rich smell passed through her nostrils. "This smells good!"

She smelled it. Farfalla's eyes widened with disbelief. "Wait...you smelled the green flask?!"

"Yes," Suzuran replied in a soft, matter of fact voice.

'No way! If she could smell it, then she must be…!' Farfalla couldn't believe it. But she smelled the flask, and she just said only special people can smell those flasks.

Like Kaoru.

Suzuran looked up and noticed someone walking on the street. The pale haired man looked all around himself, as if he was looking for something. Curious, Suzuran walked into the front yard, closed the fence, and looked around. Perhaps he dropped something. Soon, she saw a small white face mask on the sidewalk. Perhaps this is what he was looking for? Suzuran picked it up and ran toward the man. "Hello! Excuse me!" She shouted. When he turned around, she showed him the face mask. "Is this yours? I think you dropped it."

Without a word, the man took the mask and proceeded to walk away. Suzuran became miffed. He has the nerve to just walk away without saying thank you? Suzuran wasn't going to stand for this. She walked up to the man again, this time with an angry face. "Excuse me! You're supposed to say thank you when someone does something nice for you!"

"Pipe down, you runt," The man hissed, continuing to walk away. This time, Suzuran ran right in front of him.

"You're a grown up! It's good manners to say thank you! I'm not leaving until you say it!" Suzuran yelled.

A vein popped on the man's head. That was when Farfalla noticed them together. She recognized him and squealed. "Hemlock!"

"Get out of my way, you runt!" Hemlock yelled.

"Say thank you!" Suzuran repeated boldly.

He grinded his teeth. He wanted to get away. Then he saw Farfalla. She tried to fly away. "There you are, you little rat!"

* * *

"Farfalla! Where are you?! Farfalla!" Kaoru called out to her butterfly friend everywhere she went. No response. "Awww. Where did she go?"

She was about to give up until she heard a scream down Hanayama avenue. "Sounds like trouble!" Kaoru wasted no time getting her Fragrant Flask out and transforming into Cure Plumeria. She ran down the street. Much to her horror, there was Hemlock, with his hand gripping Farfalla's wing. She tried to get away, but he was just too strong.

"Let me go!" Farfalla pleaded.

"Not until you hand over that flask, you waste of life!" Hemlock roared.

Funnily enough, Suzuran leaped on his arm and bit down on it. "Aaarrgh!" Hemlock roared in response to the bite. He didn't mean to, but he unknowingly released Farfalla, freeing her from his grasp. She saw Cure Plumeria right away and flew over to her. "Cure Plumeria!"

"Farfalla! Thank goodness you're okay!" Cure Plumeria hugged her friend for a moment, relieved that she got to her in time.

"Get off me!"

"Give me that flask, you runt!" Hemlock tried to grab the flask in Suzuran's hand, but she clutched it tightly and tried to run. But he grabbed the back of her hoodie and pulled her back. Cure Plumeria glared at him before sending a kick at his side, freeing Suzuran from his grasp.

"Stop right there, Hemlock! You're terrible to pick on a little kid like that!" Cure Plumeria roared, pointing her finger at him like she was Phoenix Wright. Hemlock hissed and wiped some gravel off his chin.

"You again. Just great," He hissed.

"What's going on here?" A woman came out of a silver BMW parked in Suzuran's driveway.

"Mom! Call the police! That man tried to hurt me!" Suzuran yelled, unabashedly pointing to Hemlock.

Hemlock, on the other hand, made a purple sphere of light appear in his hand and fired it at Suzuran's mother. As soon as it made contact with her, the woman screamed as the purple light consumed her. "MOM! NO!" Suzuran tried to run, but Cure Plumeria caught her and held her back.

"Don't go near it! You don't know what that is!" Cure Plumeria exclaimed.

"But my mom's in danger! I gotta save her!" Suzuran roared, struggling to break out of Plumeria's grasp.

Soon, the light grew in size, and it morphed into a gigantic purple centipede, complete with ugly yellow legs and a face so horrifying it'd make someone run for the hills. "Poiza-naaaaaa!" It bellowed in a gravely voice.

"A...g-g-g-giant centipede…" Farfalla stammered fearfully and hid in a nearby bush.

"Heh! You don't scare me, insectoid! Take this!" Cure Plumeria wasted no time punched the centipede in its stomach, then delivering some roundabout kicks. The giant centipede hissed every time Plumeria landed a hit. It tried to headbutt her a few times, but she managed to evade all of its attacks elegantly, whether by back flips or jumping high enough. At one point, she kicked it on the street using both legs.

Suzuran tried to run away, but again, Hemlock grabbed her hood. "Give it to me!"

"No!"

"I said give it to me, you runt!"

"Make me!" Suzuran managed to step on his foot this time, but it wasn't strong enough to make him feel any pain, not to mention his boots are resistant to her weak little feet.

Farfalla watched the battle from a nearby bush with tears flowing out of her eyes like waterfalls. "Oh no...if this keeps up, Hemlock and that monster might kill everyone here…" She murmured. Already, people began storming out of their houses and running for their lives.

All of a sudden, Cure Plumeria grabbed the centipede, lifted it up, and threw it across the street. "Poizana!" It roared as it skidded on the steaming hot concrete. The force was so strong, it caused Hemlock to lose his balance and fall on his rear.

Squishing some small flowers in the process.

Suzuran gasped, clutching the flask in her hands. Hemlock got back up, but the small violets have been decimated by the force of his rear. Many petals were ripped from the stem, becoming crumpled and torn in places. Suzuran donned a dark look on her face, which immediately morphed into blazing anger. "How could you kill those flowers?! They never did anything to you!" Suzuran yelled vehemently. She squeezed the Fragrant Flask so hard, it began making imprint marks on her palms.

"Why do you care so much about stupid flowers? They're useless and are a waste of space!" Hemlock roared.

"NO! They're not useless! You're a bad man!" Suzuran yelled louder this time. "I oughta make you pay for squishing them!"

"Suzu-chan!" Farfalla popped out of the bushes. "Kiss the flask in your hand and shout _'Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!'_ Hurry!"

Suzuran didn't ask any questions. She just did as asked. "Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!" She shouted before kissing the top of the flask. She found herself encased in a green light for a few minutes.

The light dissipated, and out came Suzuran. Her hair grew to the point where it reached her lower back, having turned a pale mint green. Dangling from her ears are little white flower shaped earrings, shaped to look like the bulb of a white campanula. She is wearing a green dress with green straps, a very round and poofy white skirt, pale green leg warmers with white flower decorations on them, darker green shoes, poofy white flower shaped wristbands, and a pale green ribbon on her chest. The green flask dangled from the top of her skirt.

"The lily of the valley has the rich scent of joy! Cure Muguet!" Suzuran, now Cure Muguet, held her wrists up to her chin and struck a cute kid pose, like she was sweetly and wordlessly begging for something.

"Another one?! Seriously?! What a drag," Hemlock grumbled irritably.

"Woohoo! Another Pretty Cure! Yay!" Cure Plumeria cheered.

"This is no time for cheering!" Farfalla scolded her tearfully.

"Wow...I turned into a super magical girl! Awesome!" Muguet exclaimed happily, in awe of her new look and transformation. "But what does muguet mean?"

"Poizanaaa!" The centipede charged at the green girl, but Muguet managed to evade it by doing a back flip before charging at it and kicking it right in the face.

'_How did I do that?!'_ Muguet asked herself as she landed on the concrete. But she knew she wasn't done yet. She needed to save her mother. She leaped into the air and proceeded to punch the centipede right in the abdomen. The centipede was about to get back up, but Cure Plumeria dropped in and gave it a massive headbutt attack.

"Thought maybe you could use some help," Cure Plumeria piped in confidently.

"Thanks! How do we defeat it?" Suzuran told her gratefully.

"Raise one of your hands and shout, _'Gather round, scents of the world!'_" Cure Plumeria told her. "Like this. Gather round, scents of the world!" As soon as she said that, the Plumeria Wand appeared in her hand.

"Like this?" Shyly, Suzuran raised her hand in the air. She shouted in a loud voice, "Gather round, scents of the world! A light appeared for a moment, morphing into a long green stick with a white flower decoration at the end of it. But the flower is shaped differently than Kaoru's.

"Ready?"

Muguet nodded.

"Plumeria Wand!"

"Lily Wand!"

"Plumeria Flash!"

"Lily Zephyr!"

A white light shot out from the Plumeria Wand, and a pale green light shot out of Cure Muguet's Lily Wand. Both of them hit the centipede, turning it a snow white before it disappeared completely, bringing Suzuran's mother back to Earth, albeit unconscious. Muguet turned back to normal and ran to her mother with a worried look on her face. "Mom! Mom!" She kneeled down and shook her to try and wake her up.

"This isn't over, you rats!" Hemlock grumbled before teleporting away.

"Mom…" Some tears welled up in Suzuran's eyes. Plumeria turned back to normal and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. She's probably just unconscious. She'll wake up in a bit," Kaoru told her gently. Suzuran stood up and wiped some tears out of her face.

She smiled. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome. Hey! Wanna be a Pretty Cure with me and fight crime?"

"Yeah! I'd love to be a super hero! Oh! Um...I'm…" Suzuran shouted cheerfully, but went back to being shy. "Tani Suzuran."

"Fujiyama Kaoru. Nice to meet you, Suzu-chan."

"Oh! Do you go to Niou Middle School?"

"Yep."

"I do too! How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"I'm twelve. You're older than me!"

"You were pretty awesome back there."

"Oh! We should exchange phone numbers!" Suzuran exclaimed. "Be right back!" Suzuran stormed into the house for a bit, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, wrote something down, and handed it to Kaoru. "This is my phone number. You can write yours down on this piece here," Suzuran said before handing her a shred of paper and a pen.

"Thanks!" Kaoru said happily as she wrote her phone number down and handed it to Suzuran. "We'd make a pretty good team! Oh! Farfalla, you never did tell me why you didn't meet me at Ice Cream Garden!"

"Sorry!" Farfalla apologized and bowed ruefully. "A dog was chasing me and Suzu-chan helped me out. I didn't mean to keep you waiting!"

"It's okay...Ahhh! The ice cream!" Kaoru ran to the end of the street. Much to her disappointment, the cup of vanilla ice cream spilled on the concrete, making it inedible. "Awww! It's completely ruined!"

"What's wrong?" Farfalla asked.

"I got that ice cream for you, but I must have dropped it when I heard the commotion," Kaoru exclaimed ruefully, facepalming.

"It's okay. Thanks anyway. Besides, we can get some another time," Farfalla told her kindly, tapping her shoulder with her little hand.

Kaoru flashed a smile again. "You're right. Better clean it up, though. Don't want anyone eating it," Kaoru picked it up and threw it in a nearby trash can.

After that, Suzuran and her mother went back inside, while Kaoru and Farfalla went back home for the day. She needed to get some homework done, and Farfalla had enough of being outside for the day.


	4. Cure Citron

Chapter 4: Cure Citron is a Snotty High Schooler?! I Don't Believe This!

With two big shopping bags in her hands, Hinako trotted along the sidewalk humming a cheery little tune to herself. "I can't wait to try these on! Masashi-kun will fall head over heels for me for sure!" She mused to herself before using her free hand to open the front door. Unfortunately for her, standing in her way was a very stern, angry woman far older than she.

The woman had short, scraggly blonde hair, darker in shade than Hinako's, and steely bronze eyes filled to the brim with anger. The woman was wearing a black and white office outfit complete with a shirt, jacket, medium length skirt, black stockings, and black high heels. "And just where have you been, young lady?" The woman asked in an icy voice.

"Go away, Mom!" Hinako snapped as she tried to get past her, but her mother just refused to budge.

"Don't take that tone with me young lady!" Her mother hissed angrily before shoving a paper in her frustrated daughter's face. It had a big blue 87 written on the top right corner in blue ink, along with a couple red X's here and there. "Care to explain these terrible grades to me?!"

"Mom! Stop making a big deal out of it! It's a freakin' B! Just be happy I didn't get an F! God!" Hinako tried to get past her once more, but her mother again refused to leave her daughter alone.

"This is unacceptable, Hinako! It's because you keep gallivanting off to the mall and spending my hard earned money that you get grades like this! Not only that, I got a call from Kawano-sensei! She says you've been skipping your piano lessons all week!" Her mother lectured loudly.

"I suck at the piano and you know it! Stop making me do all this stuff! I don't like it!"

"You said you wanted to go to college! I'm working my butt off to raise enough money to put you in a good school, but you have the nerve to embarrass me with these grades!"

Something snapped inside Hinako, causing her to drop her shopping bags. "You only want to make me go to colleges YOU want ME to go to! And since when were getting B's embarrassing?! This is exactly why I hate you! You want me to be this super perfect little angel and act like every little thing I do is the end of the world! I'M FREAKING SICK OF IT!" Hinako roared before grabbing her shopping bags and storming up the stairs, into her room. She slammed the door hard. _THUD!_

After that, Hinako plopped herself on her large, queen sized bed and buried her face in her pillows. "I am your mother, and it is your duty to respect your elders and do what they tell you! Don't think I'm not going to tell your father about your behavior!" Hinako put a pillow over the back of her head to muffle her mother's shouting. It didn't work, and Hinako grinded her teeth, wishing she had a different kind a mother.

She had always been jealous of her friends' mothers. Her friend Yasuyo's mother was cool. She was nice, friendly, open minded, and completely okay with her daughter's not perfect grades. In fact, whenever Hinako would talk to Yasuyo at school, she'd always talk about how nice her mother was for arranging a tutor for her to help with some schoolwork she had problems with, how awesome she was for letting them go to the Orihara Nina concert last summer, how she always tried to solve problems with an open mind by any means possible, etc. Hinako took a stuffed horse and threw it on the floor. She wished she had Yasuyo's mother instead of this raving, overly perfectionistic lunatic.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Hinako whispered to herself sadly, digging her sharp fingernails into her pillow. It hurt to dig them in any further, but she didn't care. It didn't help that her feet were throbbing from too much walking and the fact that she had been walking in high heels most of the time. Finally, her mother's yelling stopped, and she could hear her hard foot steps stomping away from her bedroom door.

Hinako pulled herself out of bed, got her school books out, and began working on her homework. At least tonight's assignments were easy. She could get an A on these for sure, especially the history assignment. It took her about an hour to finish them all, but she did, and once that was done, she decided to try on the new clothes she got. She stared in front of her tall, rectangle shaped mirror in every new outfit she tried on, marveling at her beauty.

"Lookin' good, Hina! You know Masashi-kun's gonna fall in love with you if you go to school like this," Hinako said to herself. "Ohh! I wonder how my new hair clip would look with this outfit!" Hinako rushed to her bureau and pulled out a beautiful, sparkling hair clip with three little pinkish purple roses on it. She stuck it in the back of her hair and examined herself in the mirror. She smiled radiantly. "Now I'm smokin'! You go, girl!"

Hinako pulled out a sparkly pink cell phone, turned it on, and used it to take a picture of herself. "I am SO putting this on my profile!" But when she looked out her window, she saw a little boy running up to his mother happily. She closed her phone and opened her window.

"Mommy! Look! I got a B on my math test!"

"Wow! Really? Great job, honey! I'm so proud of you! All that studying paid off! How about we celebrate with some ice cream?"

"Yay! Can I have pistachio?"

"Of course!"

Hinako clutched her cell phone tightly. She wished her mother was kind, open minded, and appreciative like that mother was. Why couldn't her mother be like that one down there? Before she knew it, her motivation to post her picture on her profile was sapped right out of her. But she did gather enough energy to sit on her bed, pull her I-pod out, stick her red ear buds in her ears, and put on Nicki Minaj's new song, Anaconda.

"I'll wait until later. Who'd want to look at my picture anyway? It's not like anyone likes me at school anymore," Hinako mused to herself as the loud song wracked her brain. But it didn't quiet down some gossipy voices.

Voices she had heard in school for quite a while now.

"_Iwatsubo's a real snob, isn't she?"_

"_I know, right? She struts around acting like she's all that! What a jerk!"_

"_It's her fault I lost all my friends!"_

"_She even tried to steal my boyfriend!"_

"_My sister's too afraid to go to school because of her! If she even so much as comes near my sister, I am so gonna rip her a new one!"_

Soon, the song ended and changed into some trashy hip-hop song. But not even different types of music could crack a smile out of Hinako, nor could they force the familiar voices out of her head. She took a small pillow and hugged it tightly, wishing she could just squeeze the bad feelings right out. "They are right, I can't deny that. I wish I wasn't such a bad person…" Hinako mused sadly to herself.

* * *

When the final bell rang, the children stormed out of Niou Middle School, happy to finally get the heck out of there and do whatever they want. But Kaoru didn't leave right off. She stayed in front of the fence keeping the blacktop in, looking around as though she was waiting for someone. Just then, Yumi passed by, holding her clarinet case in her hand. "Aren't you going home yet, Kaoru?" Yumi asked curiously.

"Not yet. I made a new friend and we promised to meet after school right about now," Kaoru replied as she twirled part of her hair around her index finger.

Yumi smiled sweetly. "Okay then. I'm off to clarinet lessons now, so have fun."

"You too!" Kaoru said before Yumi trotted away.

"Kao-chan!" A sweet voice piped up behind Kaoru. She turned around to find Suzuran standing behind her, looking quite cute today. Suzuran was wearing a pale green shirt with many pink and red flower patterns on it, brown jean shorts, pink and black sneakers, and a big white flower hair clip in her raven black hair.

"Suzu-chan! You made it!" Kaoru exclaimed.

Suzuran smiled sweetly. "I wouldn't miss a play date for the world!"

"Do your parents know you're hanging out with me?" Kaoru asked.

"Yep! I told them a few days ago. Oh! Here they are right now," Suzuran turned around to see her parents coming by. She ran to her father and dragged her over.

From what Kaoru could tell, Suzuran's father was quite a plump man, with short black hair, blue eyes, and a small mustache and beard. He was wearing a pale yellow and white striped shirt, beige khaki shorts, red and white sneakers, rectangle shaped glasses, and tall white socks. Suzuran's mother looked a little more mousy, with short, shaggy brown hair, green eyes, and oval shaped glasses. She was wearing a short sleeved pink shirt, blue jean pants, and plain white sneakers. "Mom. Dad. This is my new friend Fujiyama Kaoru-chan! Kaoru-chan, this is my dad Yuuga and my mom Chika."

"It's nice to meet you, Kaoru-chan!" Yuuga happily shook Kaoru's hand gently. "Little Suzu's been going on and on about you all week."

"Thanks, but it's no big deal," Kaoru replied sheepishly, her face turning a slightly warm red color.

"Is it true your parents own a perfume shop?" Chika asked.

"Yep! Parfum Palace," Kaoru told her.

"Oh! You must be Asuka and Kouki's daughter! I go to Parfum Palace all the time!" Chika exclaimed cheerfully.

"My mom loves perfume," Suzuran chimed in.

"Would you like us to take you to your house? I've been there a thousand times so I know the way," Chika asked kindly.

"Sure! That'd be great! Thanks!" Kaoru exclaimed, immediately diving into the back seat of the silver BMW. Suzuran jumped in as well, and the Tanis drove off to Kaoru's house. Once they got there, Kaoru and Suzuran got out first. "Hey, Suzu-chan! Come on inside! I wanna show you my room!" Kaoru happily took Suzuran by the hand and escorted her into the store.

Well, she would have if she hadn't bumped into somebody and almost fell to the ground. "Ow!"

"Ow!" Suzuran managed to catch Kaoru and make sure she didn't fall. "Ohhh! Sorry!" Kaoru rubbed her hat covered head.

"Ugh! Don't you EVER watch where you're going?!"

Kaoru made an irk sound. She knew that annoying voice anywhere. Hinako stood before her with a stern, annoyed look on her face, complete with her fists on her hips. Today the blonde high schooler was wearing a black tank top, a short white miniskirt, and blue slip on shoes. "It's because you keep running around like a little twerp that nobody likes you!"

"I SAID I was sorry, okay?!" Kaoru's face burned.

Hinako wasn't too pleased. "That's not good enough! You almost made me fall and ruin my new skirt! I paid $60 for this new skirt, and if it's dirty it'll be all your fault!"

Suzuran balled her fist and stood in front of Hinako with an angry face. "It's rude to call people names and be mean to them!"

"Stay out of this, little girl," Hinako waved her hand at Suzuran, but the younger girl didn't budge. "Well, I have better things to do than spend time with you mischievous little trouble makers. Ta-ta!" Hinako turned on her heel and left. But not before letting out her annoying, signature laugh. "OHHHH HOHOHOHO!"

Suzuran covered her ears. They rang just from hearing Hinako laugh. "Too loud!"

Kaoru brushed some of Hinako's thick perfume off of herself. "Sorry you had to see that, Suzu-chan."

"Is she always mean to you?" Suzuran asked innocently.

"No. She's kind of a snob, yeah. She comes here a lot, though," Kaoru explained, adjusting her hat a bit.

Chika had come out of the car, and she watched Hinako leave with a fiery glare. "The nerve of that girl! Some people just can't raise their kids to be decent!"

Yuuga laughed nervously. "Now now, Chika. It's done and over with now."

"You still wanna come to my room and see all my stuff?"

Suzuran flashed a radiant smile. "Yeah!"

* * *

"Ugh! That Fujiyama girl always gets on my nerves!" Hinako hissed as she stomped on the sidewalk. She didn't care if the gravel messed up her shoes. Shoes are made for walking, right? "Seriously! No kid I know ever behaved the way she does!"

All of a sudden, she found herself stopping in her tracks. With a sad expression, she let out a sigh. "Really, Hinako. You need to stop being such a jerk to everyone. If you keep this up, you'll start acting like Mom. That's the last thing I want," Hinako twirled one of her fingers through a ringlet in her golden hair before moving on.

Before she could get very far, however, she saw a pair of large butterfly wings sitting on the grass. She stopped to get a better look at them. She had never seen such a huge butterfly. It's wings were large and black, with intricate pink, yellow, blue, and purple designs on them from top to bottom. The butterfly looked to be the size of a pillow, whereas most butterflies she saw were no bigger than her favorite green pencil sharpener. Not only that, this butterfly was purple, and it had little stubby hands and feet, with two tall antennae.

This was definitely not a normal butterfly.

The butterfly's proboscis suddenly changed into a normal human mouth, furthering Hinako's utter shock. "Ahhh! Violet nectar is the best!"

Hinako found herself shaking. _'D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-Did...Did that ridiculously huge butterfly just TALK?!'_ Hinako thought she was dreaming at first. To see if this was true..._SLAP!_ She smacked herself across the face.

The loud sound drew the butterfly's attention away from the little violets on the grass, turning her purple head toward Hinako. The two made eye contact. Hinako wasn't dreaming after all. Both let out loud yelps. The butterfly flapped its large wings quite hard as it flew away from the scene, flying into Kaoru's window.

Hinako's legs gave out and she fell on her rear. "No way...I wasn't dreaming?! That thing actually talked?! What's WRONG with this world?!" Already she wanted to go home.

Something glimmered in the sunlight, catching her eye. A small bottle containing a yellow liquid rolled onto the sidewalk. It had a yellow, flower shaped cap secured on the top. Confused but curious, Hinako slowly picked it up as she stood back up. "I wonder what this is?"

She looked in all directions, wondering if someone might have dropped it. But she noticed it came from the butterfly's direction. "Did that butterfly drop this?"

As otherworldly as this seemed, Hinako smiled. "Oh well! Finders keepers, losers weepers!" She held it closer to her face. "What is this anyway? Perfume, maybe?" Hinako pressed the flower shaped cap. Nothing came out. "Awww. Maybe it's a special scent or something?" Hinako unscrewed the cap and smelled the yellow liquid.

It smelled faintly of sweet citrus. Hinako's nostrils had never experienced this kind of scent before, but her eyes sparkled like stars upon smelling it. As soon as the lovely aroma entered her nostrils and her bloodstream, she found herself thrilled and energized. "Oooooh! Now this is great!" Hinako screwed the cap back on, put it in her brown alligator purse and strutted away. "I wish they made a perfume of this. I'd be the talk of the school!"

Hinako found herself happier than she had ever been, as she smiled the whole way to the local mall.

* * *

Farfalla flew into Kaoru's room so hard she fell on her bed and knocked over some of her stuffed animals and her notebook. "Whoa!" Kaoru managed to avoid her as she flew in like a rocket. But she did manage to catch her and make sure she didn't fall and hurt herself. "Are you okay, Farfalla?"

The worn out purple butterfly's eyes were swirling around dizzily. "Uhhhh…" That was all she choked out.

Suzuran happened to notice that Kaoru's notebook was open. The pages that were exposed had some scribbles and words written on them. She crawled over to them to get a closer look. Upon further inspection and reading, Suzuran could tell they were hastily written song lyrics. Some words were scribbled out with black ink. Other parts had been erased. Some corners of the paper were crumpled up and wrinkled from too much erasing.

_Alright! Yeah! Let's Do It!_

_We fight for victory,_

_So the bad guys don't win,_

_For love and justice prevail,_

_And evil gets sent packing!_

_I am the great power of hope,_

_Who keeps evil away from Earth,_

_My job is to help those in need,_

_For a friend in need is a friend indeed!_

Kaoru saw Suzuran looking at her lyrics. "Ahhh! Don't look at those!" Kaoru scrambled to her notebook, shut it closed, and threw it on her bed, making Suzuran recoil a bit.

Suzuran looked down at the floor and donned a slightly sad look. "Sorry. Was I not supposed to look?"

Kaoru let out a nervous chuckle as she rubbed her hair with her hand. "No no! It's not that! Those lyrics in particular are pretty bad. I wrote that when I was about nine or so. I've written much better songs."

Suzuran's sad expression disappeared in an instant. Farfalla recovered as well upon hearing their conversation. "You write songs?" Suzuran asked innocently, with curiosity brimming in her green eyes.

"Do you? That's so great!" Farfalla chirped, clasping her stubby hands together with a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah. I do. They're not great, but I'm working on it," Kaoru smiled again. "I want to be a singer when I grow up," Suzuran could tell. She saw an old guitar lying on part of Kaoru's bed.

"What kind of singer? A rock star? A pop star?"

"Mostly a regular singer. But…" Kaoru stammered a bit at this point. "I don't really like singing in front of people."

"Why not?"

"I sang in class once when I was eleven, and all the kids wouldn't stop laughing and making fun of me. They kept on claiming my voice is husky and that I sound like a cowgirl drug addict," Kaoru's face turned red as she pulled a stuffed ladybug out and hid her face behind it. The memories of that time flooded her mind again. The shocked look on her face. The children laughing, pointing at her, and calling her names. The teacher facepalming, appalled at the kids' behavior. Little Kaoru running off the makeshift stage in tears. Kaoru shook her head to force those memories out.

"I would love to hear you sing!" Farfalla exclaimed. "It doesn't matter if your voice is husky. All voices are different, and every singer has their own distinct voice."

Kaoru pulled the ladybug plush off of her face. "You think so?"

"Me too," Suzuran piped in. "Who are your favorite singers?"

"There's Seishun, Lollip, Suzuki Uta, Orihara Nina-"

"I LOVE Orihara Nina!" Suzuran suddenly shouted cheerfully, cutting Kaoru off so suddenly that she almost fell on her back. But Kaoru managed to regain her composure.

"You love her too?!" Kaoru's eyes sparkled radiantly.

Same with Suzuran. "I've loved her since last year! I have all her CDs! But I don't go to her concerts because they're always loud and loud noise hurts my ears. But I love love love love LOOOOVE her! She's not like some of the popular, more gross singers we've been hearing!"

"I know, right?! She's soooo unconventional, too! She comes to concerts wearing nothing but T-shirts, khakis, cute hats, and slippers! I love that about her! And she never dresses all cutesy and flashy!"

"I like that she doesn't dress in those really small, revealing clothes, and her songs actually sound nice!"

"I know! My favorite Nina songs are BonBalance de Dance, Wow Happiness Surge, Memory of the Heart, Be Yourself LaLaLa, Sunset Sky, and The Wings of My Heart!"

"Those are my favorites, too! But I like Be Yourself LaLaLa the best!"

"Who's Orihara Nina?" Farfalla asked curiously.

Kaoru was about to explain, but Suzuran cut her off. "Orihara Nina-san is a singer! She's super duper popular because she isn't like other singers. Most singers dress in either revealing or flashy outfits and sing and dance weirdly. People like that, but I don't. Nina-san, on the other hand, isn't like that! She sings nice songs, comes to concerts wearing normal shirts and shorts, and from what I hear she's a super nice person who donates money to charities!"

"She's right!" Kaoru added. The enthusiasm was a bit too much for Farfalla so she backed up a bit. "Not only that, her songs contain great messages for kids, such as being yourself, don't let people decide who you are, don't fall in love early in life, be nice to people and they'll be nice to you, be a good friend, all that good stuff! I have a ton of CDs with me! Wanna listen? Oh! By the way, I heard you screaming just now. What happened?"

Farfalla straightened out her antennae. "Oh, that? Someone saw me eating violets. I think she heard me talk. I flew away as fast as I could, but…"

"It wasn't Iwatsubo Hinako, right?"

"The girl was blonde and was wearing a really really short skirt."

"Ew! I hate those!" Suzuran exclaimed.

"Yep, that was Hinako. Well, if she saw you one time, then she'll probably forget about you soon. She doesn't care about that kind of stuff," Kaoru rubbed Farfalla's head gently.

"I hope so. One thing I do know is that we need to find the third Pretty Cure so we can defeat the Poison Pride," Farfalla replied sheepishly.

"Who are Poison Pride? Is that Hemlock guy one of them?" Suzuran asked.

"Yeah. Farfalla says they took over her world and want to take her Fragrant Flasks. She also said their goal is to make the world smell horrible," Kaoru explained.

"Why? That makes no sense," Suzuran asked.

"We're just as confused about it as you are," Farfalla said. "But at least they didn't take the last flask…" Farfalla reached for the flask, only to find and feel nothing.

"Eh?" Farfalla looked all around herself. Anxiety built up like a wobbling tower of ice cream ready to fall. Farfalla screamed. "OH NOOO! The last Fragrant Flask is goooooone!"

Kaoru put both hands on Farfalla's mouth to keep her from screaming more, partly because Suzuran covered her ears with her hands. "Shhh! Mom, Dad, and Niou will hear you!"

Farfalla stopped screaming. Kaoru let her go, but the distressed butterfly covered her face with her hands ruefully. "This is terrible! I must have dropped it somehow! How can I be so stupid?! If Hemlock or the other Poison Pride members find it, who knows what they could do!"

Suzuran stroke Farfalla's hand with her finger. "Don't be sad, Farfalla! We can help you find it!"

Farfalla found herself near tears. "Really? You will?"

"Yeah! That's what friends are for, right?" Kaoru agreed without question.

"You two are the best!" Farfalla squealed as she hugged Suzuran and Kaoru. "I'm so happy I met you two!"

"Let's try searching in front of the shop first," Kaoru said. "You said you were going to suck some nectar out of some violets earlier, right?"

"Yeah!" Farfalla remembered.

"But what if someone already took it by then?" Suzuran asked worriedly.

"We can't think like that. Let's look around first. I know what it looks like, and it shouldn't be hard for people to miss it," Kaoru said.

With that, the girls and Farfalla went outside to try and look for the last Fragrant Flask. The worried, fidgety Farfalla dearly prayed that nobody took it.

* * *

Lorraine sat at a make up desk in her room, applying some stark red lipstick, dressing up her pale pink lips. Her room was a pale brown color, with a plain bed, a mahogany dresser, and some watercolor pictures of various trees and ponds hanging on her wall. Lorraine's make up desk was pale brown in color, with a square shaped mirror that could fold right into it. Once Lorraine finished dressing her lips up with lipstick, she put some silver hooped earrings on her ears. "Hm! Good! Now I look stunning!"

Before she could get up, she heard a knock on her door. Knock knock. "Lorraine? Are you in there?"

Lorraine smiled. She could recognize that sweet voice anywhere. "Come on in, Fox!"

Foxglove spun into the room like a little ballerina, her pale blue sweet lolita dress coming alive. "Ta-da!" Foxglove came in wearing a pale blue dress decked with bows and lace, with a matching blue and white ribbon headband, blue ribbon shoes, and blue and white striped stockings. "What do you think?"

Lorraine's eyes sparkled with delight upon seeing the perky lady in blue. She stood up from her make up desk and walked over to her friend. "You look lovely, Fox!" She said cheerfully before planting a kiss on her forehead. Foxglove smiled sweetly, and her cheeks turned a sweet cherry blossom pink from the affectionate kiss. "Did you buy that just recently?"

"Yep! This is the last one I'm gonna buy for now, though. These dresses are so expensive!" Foxglove adjusted her headband a bit. "I'm glad Darnel made money we could use for stuff like this, but since she's a stuffed bunny now, she can't do that anymore, can she?"

"When she's back to normal, I'm sure she can," Lorraine told her reassuringly. "She's an Earth spirit. Creatures like her can create anything from thin air."

"I wonder why we can't do that?"

Lorraine crossed her arms. "That's what I want to know."

"By the way...are you going to Earth again to find Farfalla?"

"Just the Fragrant Flasks, yeah. I won't do anything bad to her. I promise."

"How come we need them so bad? Hemlock keeps going on and on about how we can never get them, but I don't get why they're so important."

Lorraine scratched her head. "You're right. I don't get it either. Hemlock said something about them once. He thinks they might be able to turn Darnel back to normal, but we don't know if the Fragrant Flasks can do that. But I'll see if I can try getting at least one of them," Lorraine brushed her hair before putting the brush back.

She was about to leave until Foxglove grasped one of her hands, stopping her from leaving. Not in a forceful or clingy way. Lorraine turned around to find Foxglove looking at her with a worried look on her sweet face. "Try to be careful...and not do anything skeevy. Okay?"

Lorraine smiled, lifted Foxglove's face up gently, and planted her lips on hers. The two closed their eyes and lost themselves in the kiss. They stayed like that for about a minute or so until Lorraine pulled her lips away from her. Foxglove had traces of red lipstick covering her lips. "I will. You stay here and take care of Darnel. Once I come back, we can be alone together. Okay?"

Foxglove smiled sweetly and nodded before Lorraine left. Foxglove waved from inside her room. "Have a good trip!"

Once Lorraine teleported away, Foxglove went back to her room and hugged Darnel tightly. "Mmmm! I am sooooo happy!" Foxglove found herself in loveland and plopped herself on her bed with Darnel wrapped snugly in her arms. "Lorraine always makes me feel loved!" But Foxglove wiped some of the red lipstick off of her mouth. "But lipstick and I don't really go together. Ick!"

She went to the bathroom, washed the lipstick off her face, and adjusted her headband a bit before returning to her room.

* * *

"What a big sale! I sure am glad I went today!" Hinako walked down the sidewalk carrying about six shopping bags. A red string was around her neck, with the Fragrant Flask dangling off of it like a necklace. Hinako smiled as she looked down at the flask. "Not only that, I got to make this into a necklace! It really matches my hair!"

Hinako trotted down the sidewalk, humming a cheerful little tune to herself. She didn't mind that the shopping bags were heavy. She had been carrying heavy shopping bags since she could go to the mall all on her own. By now, she had become a pro at it. Her feet didn't even hurt one bit from all the walking. At least being at the mall and walking everywhere was better than listening to her mother nag and ramble all day.

Unbeknownst to her, Lorraine suddenly teleported into the same area just then. Lorraine looked around and found herself stupefied. "What am I doing here of all places? Wasn't this the same place where I blew up that perfume store?" She asked herself. If someone who saw her blow up Parfum Palace saw her here, namely that Cure Plumeria girl, she'd get caught for sure.

She had intended to make a quick getaway...had she not spotted Hinako trotting down her way with a smile on her face, singing a jovial little tune.

This wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that Lorraine glared at her. Not at Hinako per say, but rather at her short, snow white miniskirt.

Hinako's eyes were closed, so at first she didn't notice when she felt something press on her head. She found herself stopped in the middle of her tracks. "Huh?" She opened her eyes to find a woman with white hair tied in low pigtails, with purple eyes and wearing a green dress and tall green boots. "Who in the world are you?"

Hinako looked at Lorraine's dress and found herself disgusted. "Ugh. Green? That color really doesn't suit you."

"You're one to talk! You're the one strutting around wearing that ugly skirt!" Lorraine shouted. "Look how short it is! Is this your way of getting attention from smelly boys?! If you go around wearing stuff like that, it's going to end badly for you!"

"Outta my way, you!" Hinako brushed Lorraine's hand away and was about to stomp away, but the green dressed woman flew in front of her again. "Hey! Let me go or I'll scream!"

"Not before I teach you the evils of dressing promiscuously!" Lorraine shouted.

That was when she saw the flask around Hinako's neck.

It took her all but two seconds to recognize it. "That flask! Give it to me!"

She tried to grab it, but Hinako pushed her hand away, sending her shopping bags spiraling to the ground. "This is mine, you thief!"

"Give it to me right this instant!"

"Never!"

"I'd rather die than leave it in the hands of someone who uses her body and wears revealing clothes to get the wrong kind of attention!"

"Get off me, you lunatic!"

* * *

"Did you find it yet?" Kaoru asked from further into the yard.

Suzuran shook her head. "No."

"Any luck on your end, Farfalla?"

Farfalla's antennae drooped downward. "Not here either."

"No luck, huh?" The girls and Farfalla gathered around.

Farfalla cried sadly before burying her face in her hands again. "Waah! I'm so sorry, girls! I didn't mean to drop it! Honest, I didn't! Why do I always mess things up for everyone?! If Poison Pride gets it, who knows what they could do, and we need that flask to find the last Pretty Cure!"

The girls' hearts went out to the sad butterfly. Suzuran smiled and rubbed Farfalla's furry little head with her hand. "It's okay! It's not your fault. We all lose stuff sometimes, and it was an accident. We'll just have to look somewhere else."

"Yeah! There's no use in giving up now! I say we-" Kaoru wanted to go on, but a loud, blood curdling scream cut her off. They all whipped their heads toward the street, their eyes wide with shock.

"What was that?!" Farfalla yelped, her wings shaking.

"Somebody must be in trouble!" Suzuran got her Fragrant Flask out.

Kaoru pulled hers out as well, her face brimming with confidence. "Ready to kick some butt, Suzu-chan?"

Suzuran nodded. "Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!"

"The plumeria has the sweet scent of life, Cure Plumeria!"

"The lily of the valley has the rich scent of joy, Cure Muguet!"

The two girls struck a pose, back to back. "Together we're Pretty Cure!"

The two girls and Farfalla sprinted further ahead, toward the direction where they heard the scream. Once they got there, Cure Plumeria stopped in her tracks. "Oh no!"

Hinako was holding off a livid Lorraine, who had her hand wrapped tightly around the flask. She was pulling on it quite hard, but it didn't get to a point where Hinako was suffocating. "That scream came from Hinako?!" Cure Plumeria couldn't believe it at first.

Oddly enough, Cure Muguet already pulled out her Lily Wand. "Lily Zephyr!" A pale green light shot out of Cure Muguet's Lily Wand, charging right at Lorraine and knocking her out for a moment. The blast was so strong, it forced her to release both Hinako and the Fragrant Flask. Cure Muguet was about to get the flask, but Hinako already grabbed it.

"It's mine!" Hinako yelped as she got back on her feet.

Lorraine pulled herself off the grass and found herself livid. "Not you little wenches again!" Lorraine hissed, stamping her feet and smushing some grass beneath her boot.

Cure Plumeria pointed her finger at Lorraine without hesitation, donning a bold, courageous look on her face. "How dare you assault an innocent bystander?! She did nothing to you! You're gonna pay for your evil deeds!" She announced proudly.

"Kyaaah! Your outfits are so cute!" Hinako squealed.

"I'm more concerned about the fact that that witch is wearing a skirt so short you can almost see her butt! It's gross and inappropriate! What if children see her and imitate her?! If she keeps going around showing off her body like that, it's going to end badly for her!" Lorraine exclaimed.

Cure Muguet jumped up and down with a cheer. "FINALLY! Somebody who agrees with me!"

"This isn't the time to talk about my superior fashion sense, here!" Hinako found herself appalled by their skewed priorities.

"Whatever! I'm taking that flask!" Lorraine charged at Hinako, but Cure Plumeria managed to hold her off with some punches. The two began throwing fists at each other. None made contact, but they certainly weren't going to give in.

"Muguet! Protect Hinako! I'll handle Lorraine!"

"Got it!"

Hinako gasped upon noticing Farfalla. "Hey! You're that butterfly from before!"

Farfalla was about to scream upon getting noticed again, but she knew this wasn't the time for that, so she tried to keep herself calm. "You have to run away from here," She told her softly. "Lorraine wants that flask around your neck. Give it to us. We can protect it."

"What?! No! I'm not giving you my new citrus scented necklace!" Hinako whined.

Finally, Cure Plumeria managed to land a kick on Lorraine's back, sending her rolling into some bushes. Lorraine managed to pull herself out, but her body was covered with thistles. "Uuuuugh! Now you've done it!" Lorraine popped out of the bush. Her hand glowed in a purple light. She shot it at the bush.

Farfalla found herself frozen with shock. _'Did she just say...citrus scented?'_ She only knew one way Hinako could know that, and what would mean…

"You're the third Pretty Cure!"

"What?!"

The bush became consumed with a purple light, and it grew bigger and bigger until it was about as tall as an average sized oak tree. The light then turned into a big black centipede. "Poizana!"

"EEEEEEEK!" Hinako tried to run, but she almost tripped had Cure Muguet not grabbed her just in time.

"Poizana! Get that flask!" Lorraine commanded.

"Poizanaaaaaa!" The centipede was about to lunge at Hinako, but Cure Muguet held her wand out, which made a glowing green oval shaped barrier appear. The centipede headbutted it, but the pain made it wobbly and dizzy.

"Hinako! Kiss the top of the flask and yell _'Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!'_" Farfalla pleaded.

"Why?" Cure Muguet asked as Cure Plumeria drop kicked the Poizana.

"Why should I?!" Hinako yelped.

"You can become a superhero and defeat the monster!" Farfalla explained.

"No way! I'm not a freak girl!"

"But you can smell the scent from the flask, right?! That means you can do it!"

Cure Plumeria was about to punch the Poizana again, but it headbutted her, sending her rolling on the street. She did manage to pull out her Plumeria Wand. The Poizana was about to try eating her until Cure Muguet swooped down and kicked it on the head. "You have to transform! They're in trouble and you can help them!"

"No, no, and no! I'm not some deluded freak chick who dresses up in costumes!"

"Do you wanna die or live?!"

"Kyahh!" The Poizana headbutted Cure Muguet, sending her flying into a tree.

"Muguet!" Cure Plumeria was about to use her Plumeria Flash attack, but Lorraine wrapped her whip around her arm, causing her to drop it.

The Poizana turned toward Hinako, glaring at her with glowing red eyes. "Poizaaaaaa…" Hinako tried to run, but she tripped, and this time, she fell right on the concrete, leaving some scabs on her arm. She could feel the street rumbling beneath her. The Poizana was stomping right toward her, ready to have her for lunch.

Hinako knew she had no choice now.

"HELP MEEEEEE!" With that, she kissed the top of the flask. "Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!"

Hinako found herself encased in a yellow light. It was so bright that it blinded the Poizana temporarily, rendering it unable to attack for a while. After a brief moment, the golden yellow light disappeared and out came Hinako. Her hair grew to the point where it reached her lower back, only it was tied up in a very curly ponytail with a large yellow and pink flower accessory. Dangling from her ears are small white flower earrings. They were shaped like narcissi. She was wearing a yellow and white dress with a ruffled yellow and white ribbon on her chest, a yellow, flower like skirt that resembled the foliage of a citrus flower, high heeled yellow boots, and yellow flower shaped wristbands. Her Fragrant Flask dangled from her skirt.

"The citron has the jovial scent of grace, Cure Citron!" Hinako-Cure Citron-struck a model-like pose and put a hand on her hip. "Wait...WHAAAAAT?! What did I just turn into?! I look like a freak girl!" She whined. "Somebody get me outta this ugly dress! I wanna go hooooooome!"

Cure Muguet covered her ears. Cure Plumeria facepalmed. "Seriously? Hinako's the third Pretty Cure? You have got to be kidding me!"

"Look out!" Cure Muguet pushed Cure Plumeria out of the way as the Poizana headbutted the concrete, causing it to break into pieces. Cure Citron just ran away from the scene in tears.

"Bwaaaaahhhh! I'm not cut out for thiiiiiis!"

"Cure Citron! You have to fight it! It's the only way!" Farfalla exclaimed, following her.

"You expect me to fight?! And fight that thing?! I can't do it! I just cannot do it! I'm a shopaholic, not some weirdo freak girl!" Cure Citron kept on screaming and running, even as the Poizana kept trying to headbutt her. Some debris broke into some windows and walls of various houses. One rock flew onto a dog house, causing the dog to yelp in terror. One mother managed to save her child from an incoming rock.

"The town's in danger, Cure Citron! Plumeria and Muguet need you!"

"Make them take care of it! I want no part of this!"

"Come on!" Cure Plumeria grabbed Cure Citron by the back of her dress and pulled her back. "You've been chosen for this mission, and it's your duty to help us! We can't fight this thing alone! It's too powerful! Look at the damage it's causing! All of this could have been avoided had you helped us right off!"

"Why should I help you?! I'm not some superpowered freak!"

As much as she hated herself for thinking this, Cure Plumeria wanted to punch this whiny little princess. "It's too late! Now shout _'Gather round, scents of the world!'_ Do it! Hurry!"

"Why should I?!"

"Lily Zephyr!" A pale green light shot out of Cure Muguet's Lily Wand. It actually managed to hit the Poizana. But it wasn't enough to purify it.

"Just do it already!"

"OKAY OKAY I'LL DO IIIIIT!"

"Gather round, scents of the world!" The two girls shouted in unison.

Cure Plumeria's wand appeared. "Plumeria Wand!" A yellow light appeared before it morphed into a yellow wand with a yellow flower design on top of it. "Citron Wand!"

"Plumeria Flash!"

"Citron Cyclone!"

A white light shot out of the Plumeria Wand, while a golden yellow light shot out of Cure Citron's yellow flower wand. Both lights fused together before hitting the Poizana. Both lights fused with the green light of the Lily Wand, completely consuming the Poizana. "Poizaaaa…"

Finally, the Poizana dissipated, and the bush was back to normal. "Ugh! I'll lecture you one of these days, you promiscuous tramp!" Lorraine yelled before teleporting away.

"Whoa…" Cure Citron fell to her knees. But then she heard Lorraine's insult and stood right back up, looking just as livid as she was. "A tramp?! Promiscuous?! The nerve of that crazy woman! I swear if I ever get my hands on her I'm gonna-!"

"You did it, Cure Citron!" Farfalla was about to hug Cure Citron, but she leaped out of the way.

"I am NOT this Cure Citron or whatever! I'm Iwatsubo Hinako!" Cure Citron yelled, her eyes bloodshot from all the whining she did just now. "You better give me some answers you stupid butterfly! What in the world did you do to me?!" Cure Citron raised her hand up like she was about to hit her. Farfalla squeaked in fear and hid her face in her hands.

Cure Plumeria grabbed her hand before she could throw it down. "No! Don't do that to Farfalla!"

"Wait...I know that voice! You're Fujiyama Kaoru, aren't you?!"

"Yeah! So what?"

"Ugh! First I'm turned into some super powered freak girl and now I have to deal with you?! Uh uh! Absolutely not! How do I turn back to normal?!" At that moment, Cure Citron turned back into Hinako.

"That answer your question?" Suzuran deadpanned.

"Oh, shut up! You completely ruined not only my whole day but my shopping trip!" Hinako stomped over to all her bags and picked them all up. Kaoru and Suzuran turned back to normal right then and there.

"Need some help with those?' Suzuran asked.

"No thanks! Not from the likes of you! Now if you'll EXCUSE me, I'm going home! Don't ever come near me again! I want absolutely no part of this whole Purikura mumbo jumbo! Goodbye forever, you dolts!" With that, Hinako angrily stomped away.

"Pick up your feet when you walk!" Suzuran yelled, but Hinako didn't hear a thing.

"Well this sucks. I kinda wish Yumi or Haruka would be the third Pretty Cure," Kaoru mused out loud.

"Yeah. She's mean," Suzuran agreed.

"But she took the flask with her. What do we do now?" Farfalla asked.

"At this point, I don't know," Kaoru said.

Hinako made it home safely, but not before being approached by her mother yet again. "My goodness! You went and bought all of that?! No wonder your grades are so bad!"

"Outta my way, Mom! I don't wanna deal with you right now!" Hinako actually managed to get past her this time.

"Don't give me that attitude, young lady! I am your mother, and it's my job to-"

"Well I wish you WEREN'T my mother! I've had a rough day and I don't wanna deal with you being a crazy-butt lunatic! NOW GO AWAY!" Hinako stomped into her room before slamming the door so hard it made her mother recoil.

"The nerve! Wait until your father hears about this! I refuse to let you treat me this way!" Her mother shouted before stomping away.

Hinako plopped on her bed and buried her face in a pillow. "Why can't today just be a big fat nightmare? I just wanna be normal!"

Too bad fate had other plans for this spoiled princess.


	5. I Don't Want to be a Pretty Cure!

Chapter 5: I Don't Want to be a Pretty Cure! Hinako's Quandary!

(flashback)

I liked studying at first. I knew it was important, but back then, I didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up. All I cared about was hanging out with my friends and getting decent grades in school.

_A seven year old Hinako couldn't believe her eyes. A big blue B plus was at the top right corner of her most recent spelling test. She saw on a poster in the classroom that a B is generally considered a good grade. She found herself cheering loudly at recess and showing it to her friends. "Yay yay yay! I did it! I did it! I did it! Look! I got a B+! I never get B's in spelling!"_

"_Nice work, Hina-chan!" A brown haired girl exclaimed._

_Hinako beamed. "Thanks, Yasuyo-chan!"_

"_I didn't do so good," A black haired girl showed her friends her spelling test. A blue C plus was at the top right corner of her paper. "I studied so hard, but I got a C!"_

"_It's okay! At least it's better than an F or a D!" Hinako exclaimed._

"_Hey! Check out my painted nails! You like them?" Yasuyo showed Hinako her sparkly pink fingernails. Hinako could see some small purple flowers painted on them._

"_Wooow! They're so pretty! When I get home, I'm gonna show this to Mom and ask her if I can get my nails painted!" Hinako put her spelling test back in her backpack. She couldn't wait to go home and show it to her parents. They'd be proud of her for sure._

_Or so she thought._

That was the day I learned my mother's true nature when it came to my being absolutely perfect at school.

_Hinako walked home from school all smiles. She went through the door and closed it behind her. "I'm back!"_

"_Welcome home, dear!" A short, stocky man came into the living room with a bright smile on his face, happy to see his daughter came home safely. "How was school, sweetie?"_

"_Great, Daddy! Look!" Hinako rummaged through her book bag and pulled out her spelling test. "I got a B on my spelling test!" She handed it to her father so he could look at it._

_The smile on his face grew so large, his face hurt from smiling too much. "This is wonderful, sweetie! All that studying we did together finally paid off! You did it!" He took Hinako into his arms and hoisted her into the air. "I'm so proud of you!"_

"_What's all the hubbub about?" Hinako's mother came into the room._

"_Shizuka! Hinako says she got a B on her first spelling test. Isn't that great?" Hinako's father told her enthusiastically once he put her down. With a bright smile on her face, Hinako showed the paper to her mother, Shizuka._

_Shizuka gently took the paper from Hinako's hand and examined it, scratching her head with her hand. Hinako thought she would be happy and praise her for the good grade, like her father did just now. But Hinako didn't see happiness or joy. Instead, Shizuka donned a disgusted expression, like she saw someone puke. Hinako found herself confused. The anger that seemed to be emanating from Shizuka made Hinako too scared to even open her mouth._

_Even Hinako's father could help but be perplexed as to why Shizuka stared at the paper with such a cold, icy expression. "Shizuka? Is something wrong?" He stammered nervously._

"_Why isn't this an A?" That was all Shizuka choked out._

"_Shizuka!" Hinako's father couldn't believe what he heard. "Hinako worked hard on that test. She got a B. Isn't that great?"_

"_Great?" Shizuka hissed the word out like it was poison. "Great?!" This was when she started shouting. "You call this disgraceful grade GREAT?!" She threw the paper down on the floor and stomped on it with her high heel. "How can you do this to me, Hinako?! I raised you to be better than this, and you come home with a B?! Anything less than an A is disgraceful! Now go to your room and study! If my parents find out my daughter's a slacker, I'll never hear the end of it!"_

_That was all it took for Hinako to burst into tears and run away to her room. But she didn't go in there to study. She threw herself on her bed and wailed on her pillow. She didn't understand why Shizuka got mad. Her teachers always told her that a B was a reasonably good grade. She didn't get it. Shizuka and her husband could be heard yelling._

"_Shizuka! You should never treat Hinako that way! A high B is a good grade. You should be happy for her!"_

"_You don't get it! People with grades like that don't succeed in life! If Hinako keeps bringing home Bs, my parents will never let me hear the end of it, and Hinako should know better than to be so selfish!"_

"_I think Hinako did great. It was her first test, Shizuka. Cut her some slack. You know how hard she studied for this. I was hoping you'd be a little more appreciative."_

"_She doesn't study hard enough! That's the problem!"_

_Hinako cried into her pillow for about an hour straight. She beat her pillow with her weak little fists, wondering if she did something wrong. How wa bad grade? D's and F's were bad grades. Shouldn't Shizuka be happy that she at least studied, and that she didn't get a D or an F? What was her problem? Hinako didn't know, and she wished she hadn't gotten so mad._

_But she couldn't help but wonder...maybe she hadn't studied enough? Was she a disgrace like her mother said? Hinako wished she was smarter, so Shizuka would be happy._

I tried everything to please her. Piano lessons. Violin lessons. Studying until my eyes bled. Nothing I ever did was good enough for her. I'm sick of it.

(end flashback)

Hinako laid on her bed, looking at her Citron Flask. She wasn't sure what happened back there. First she transformed, then she could fire beams at monsters, and she found herself more energized than she had ever felt before. She wasn't sure what to make of that. It had to be a dream, she thought. But the Citron Flask was real. She felt the cold glass on her hand, slowly getting warmer the longer she clutched it.

What could she do now? Her life was hectic enough as it was. She couldn't waste her time being some superhero freak chick. Let someone else do that.

* * *

It had been about two weeks since Hinako transformed into Cure Citron. Kaoru and Suzuran had intended to meet up and discuss what happened, but there were too many lessons and tests to study and attend to. Finally, on Wednesday, Kaoru waited in front of school for Suzuran once again. Yumi passed right by, with her clarinet case in hand.

"So who's this new friend you're waiting for?" Yumi asked out of the blue.

"She's younger than me. Her name's Tani Suzuran," Kaoru replied as she pushed some hair out of her face.

Yumi adjusted her glasses a bit. "Did you say Tani Suzuran? Oh! I know her!"

Kaoru cocked her head to one side. "You do?"

"Yeah! She's friends with my brother Ryuuto," Yumi replied, her eyes wide with the revelation.

"Seriously? I never knew that," Kaoru confessed, finding this a little hard to believe.

It was right here that Suzuran hopped onto the premises and approached them like she was a sneaky lizard. "Hi, Kao-chan! Ready to…" Suzuran was about to go on, but she stopped when she saw Yumi and beamed. "Yumika! Hi!"

Yumi smiled sweetly. "Hi, Suzu-chan."

Suzuran turned to Kaoru, her evergreen eyes beaming with delight. "You never told me you knew Yumika!"

"Yumika?" Kaoru asked.

"That's her nickname for me," Yumi clarified, straightening out one of her shirt sleeves.

"I'm friends with her little brother, Ryuuto-kun! I never knew you were friends!" Suzuran exclaimed cheerfully.

"Yumi-chan was just telling me about that," Kaoru said with a smile. _'Wow. Some coincidence. Small world out there, isn't it?'_ Kaoru thought.

Yumi heard a car horn beeping. "Uh oh. That's my mom. I gotta go. I'll see you later!" Yumi exclaimed, waving to them before hopping in a black Mercedez Benz. The two girls watched as the car drove away.

Later, Suzuran went into Kaoru's dad's car, and he drove them to her house. They were greeted by Asuka before they stormed into Kaoru's room. Farfalla greeted them before they all settled down to talk. Not about fun stuff, but Pretty Cure stuff. "So...Hinako's the third Pretty Cure, huh?" Kaoru said.

Farfalla's antennae drooped down in a sad manner. "It would seem so. She doesn't want to be a Pretty Cure."

Suzuran donned a slightly miffed look. "Why did the Fragrant Flask choose her of all people to be a Pretty Cure. She's clearly one of those mean girls! She probably likes to go around picking on people for her own amusement and dressing in those really short skirts and hanging out with boys who are bad and do drugs!" Suzuran exclaimed, her face shining with disbelief.

Kaoru's eyes widened a bit. She had never seen this side of Suzuran. _'Wow. Judgmental much?'_ Kaoru thought.

"The Fragrant Flasks are sentient in a way. They choose people who they feel are most fit to become Pretty Cure. You three girls might have fit their criteria in some way," Farfalla said.

"But Hinako's not exactly the hero type," Kaoru countered. "I put up with her in the store every other day and she nitpicks at anything and everything, like how I dress and act. Not only that, she acted like a whiny little princess throughout the entire battle. It's not like she has any fighting skills either."

"Neither do we," Suzuran chimed in. Kaoru had to admit, she had a good point.

"Well, we can't force her to join our cause. That isn't a nice thing to do," Farfalla said.

"Good! I don't want her on the team anyway!" Suzuran piped in boldly. "She'll probably just ruin everything for both us and the citizens here."

Kaoru wasn't sure how to respond to that. Suzuran had always been sweet to her and Farfalla. To hear a lot of this coming out of her mouth was quite a shock to Kaoru, especially since she's apparently friends with Yumi's little brother. Kaoru had to wonder if maybe Suzuran had some bad experiences with people like Hinako. But she decided not to ask about personal stuff like that. There were other things to worry about.

"I'm honestly concerned about the Fragrant Flask. Hinako-san clearly likes it and won't give it back. Hemlock and his cohorts might still go after her and take it by force, and we can't let them put her in danger," Farfalla explained, rubbing her little arms together nervously.

"The Fragrant Flask was never hers to begin with, so she should give it back!" Suzuran exclaimed. "For all we know she might want to join the bad guys!"

"I don't think Hinako would go that far…" Kaoru said nervously.

"But it could happen! She's more of a villain than a hero anyway!" Suzuran argued.

"Who knows? Maybe she might come around. Maybe she won't. We can't force her to join us. She has to decide what she wants on her own," Farfalla said.

"That's true. Let's wait and see. Poison Pride hasn't sent any Poizanas after us lately, but let's still keep an eye on things. We can't let our guard down, now can we?" Kaoru told them in a matter-of-fact way.

Suzuran crossed her arms and made a pouty face. "She doesn't deserve to be a superhero," She muttered.

Right after that, Asuka came into the room with a plate of croquettes in her hand. Farfalla immediately went into stuffed animal mode so Asuka doesn't find out that she can talk or walk. It was bad enough Hinako found out. "I made some lunch, girls. Want some?"

"Awesome! Thanks, Mom!" Kaoru took the plate and immediately began snacking on a croquette.

Asuka smiled. "If you need anything, feel free to let me know, okay?" She said before leaving the room.

Farfalla found it safe to talk. But she looked at the brown, warm, egg-shaped food. They almost looked like egg shaped hash browns. "What are these?" Farfalla asked.

"Those are called croquettes. Try one! They're really good!" Kaoru told her cheerfully before helping herself to another one.

Farfalla wasn't sure if she wanted to have a bite of these odd things. All she had been used to was nectar from flowers. But she knew her mouth could work just fine, and she could still eat food without the use of her proboscis. She very slowly pulled off a piece of croquette. It was warm to the touch, but it didn't burn her hands. A warm aroma enveloped her nostrils. Once she got used to the crunchy texture, she finally placed it in her mouth and chewed it. She could hear the crunching noises she made. As soon as she swallowed it, she found herself enamored, her eyes beaming.

Kaoru smiled. It was evident from Farfalla's expression that she really liked them. "Great, huh?"

"I've never had stuff like this before," Farfalla replied with a bright smile. She decided to eat the entire croquette this time. She had never eaten human food before now. She pretty much ate nothing but flower nectar the past two weeks. She wasn't sure if she could eat human food. But now that she could, many doors of possibilities opened up for her. If she can eat croquettes just fine, then who knows what else she could eat. Farfalla couldn't wait to try some more human food. "Is there anything else here we can eat?"

"Lots of stuff!" Kaoru exclaimed. "I have come cookies, some left over shrimp from two days ago, some brown rice, and a bunch of other stuff."

"I wanna try some!" Farfalla exclaimed.

"Be my guest!" Kaoru chirped.

A little later, when the coast was clear, Farfalla went in the store to see what it was like. She had never seen the perfume shop before, and wanted to get a closer look. She marveled at the many perfume bottles that the store had. The store was still closed, and the place was still a bit disorganized. But that didn't bother Farfalla one bit.

"You like it?" Kaoru asked.

"Like it?! I love it! If my mother were here, she'd love this place!" Farfalla exclaimed. Then she noticed a round, silver perfume bottle with a black and silver butterfly design on it. "What's this?"

"That's new. Silver Butterfly, it's called," Kaoru said. "You can have it if you want."

"Really? Is that okay?"

"Sure!"

"Thank you so much, Kao-chan!" Farfalla took the perfume bottle in her hands gingerly.

But then an idea hatched in her head.

* * *

Hinako came back from the mall yet again. But this time, she only had two shopping bags with her, and they weren't very heavy. She wore a contorted, miffed expression before sighing. "No sales at the mall, and they had nothing I really wanted. Oh well. I need to start wearing some stuff I bought anyway," Hinako said before going through the door. Oddly enough, Shizuka didn't pop up to lecture her yet again like she usually does.

What a relief.

The blonde girl went to her room and put her new stuff away. But the Fragrant Flask around her neck flashed a little underneath the sunbeams going through her window. Hinako took the Citron Flask in her hand and examined it. She had wanted to throw it away, but she never could bring herself to do it. She liked how it looked, and the smell was the loveliest she ever smelled.

She remembered her transformation into Cure Citron. Her hair grew out into a long ponytail. Now that she remembered it, she had always wanted to grow her hair out. She always wanted to grow her hair at least down to her lower back so she could put it up in a long ponytail. But her hair never grew past her shoulders, and that was one of her biggest pet peeves. She saw her hair grow out as Cure Citron, and even though she spent that battle whining and making things difficult, she had to admit, that ponytail looked cute on her.

And her dress. She had said it was ugly in her terror that day, but upon further reminiscing, she thought it actually looked cute on her. Unconventional, yes, but cute. The boots certainly matched and made it look nice. Not only that, she actually felt energized, like she could do anything. She wasn't sure what to make of what happened that day...but the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if she could do it.

Being a superhero would certainly be better than dealing with Shizuka. That she knew for sure.

"Maybe...if I helped them out, maybe I can...start becoming a better person," Hinako muttered to herself, staring at the Citron Flask. "They did save my life after all. I should thank them some time," Hinako mused, silently chastising herself for the way she treated them after they put their lives on the line to save her sorry butt.

She gripped her flask. Before she could do anything, she heard something banging on her window softly. _Knock knock_. Hinako whipped around to find Farfalla at the window. She gasped and opened her window. "What do you want?!"

"Hello," Farfalla greeted her with a polite bow.

"Just so you know, I'm still not interested in this whole Cutie Pure business or whatever, and nothing you do will make me change my mind!" Hinako stammered, crossing her arms.

"Pretty Cure. But that's not why I'm here," Farfalla told her kindly. "Listen...I want to say I'm sorry for dragging you into that mess with Lorraine and the other girls. We never meant to put your life in danger like that."

Hinako found herself calming down. She couldn't believe her ears. This butterfly was actually apologizing to her? For what? Hinako wasn't sure. But she knew one thing: Shizuka never apologized to her for anything. "Why are you…?"

"I came to tell you that you don't have to become a Pretty Cure if you don't want to. I won't force you to do something you don't want to do. I know that's wrong," Farfalla continued in a soft, kind voice. She kept herself as calm and composed as possible, even though her little hands were shaking like leaves. She wasn't sure why. "The Fragrant Flask chose you, but I won't make you feel obligated to join our cause. That's your choice. Feel free to do whatever you want. I promise I won't bother you after this. But...I do want to thank you for helping Plumeria and Muguet when they needed you. Your helping them really made a difference. You may not think so, but it did," Farfalla smiled when she said this.

Hinako's nervous disposition gradually began to fade. She exhaled a relieved sigh. For some reason, a warm sensation set her heart aglow. Farfalla was actually praising her? She told her she appreciated her efforts? Hinako wasn't sure what to make of this. Shizuka never praised her or appreciated anything she did. Her father did, but she often questioned whether it was genuine or not. But something in her gut told her that Farfalla's appreciation felt genuine. _'Why do I feel like this? I...I can't describe it. Am I...happy?'_ Hinako thought.

"Oh! I brought this for you!" Farfalla pulled out a bottle of the Silver Butterfly perfume and showed it to Hinako. "Kao-chan says you really like perfume, and this is a new one that just came out. Another reason I'm here is that the reason Lorraine went after you is because you have the Citron Flask. She wants it for something, and I don't want to put you in danger, so your best bet would be to trade it with me. Is that okay?"

Hinako donned a solemn look and clutched the flask. "Look, I appreciate your kindness, but I can't give this up. I...I like it too much," Hinako stammered. _'Hinako! What are you saying?! This thing was never yours to begin with! Just give it to her! It's the reason that lunatic attacked you!'_ Hinako chastised herself for being so selfish.

Oddly enough, instead of feeling insulted or hurt, Farfalla just smiled. "I see. Okay then. You can keep the perfume anyway. I'm just glad I got to tell you how I feel and thank you for helping the girls. Bye bye!" Farfalla waved to her before fluttering off into the wind.

Hinako wasn't sure why she wanted to keep the flask, even though it was clearly not hers. But she's the only one who can smell the scent. She sat on her bed, unable to fully comprehend all of this. However, her heart was aglow with warmth. Hinako found herself smiling. Was this what kids felt when they were thanked by someone when they did something nice? Was this what she had always craved from Shizuka? Hinako wasn't sure...but she knew that she really liked this feeling, and didn't want it to go away.

She finally got what she wanted.

"Thank you...Farfalla…" Hinako mused to herself, holding the Citron Flask close to her heart. Afterward, she sprayed the Silver Butterfly perfume on her arm and smelled it.

It smelled wonderful. Farfalla was right. She did like it.

* * *

A sun rose red on the scent filled town, bringing with it a brand new day. For some kids, it was yet another boring day at school. Not for Kaoru, especially when math class came around. Kaoru was handed a test paper, with a big blue A plus on the top right corner. "I did it! I passed! Woohoo!" Kaoru exclaimed cheerfully.

"Great job, Kao," Haruka mused. Kaoru and Haruka fist bumped to rejoice in Kaoru's passing grade.

"What grade did you get?" Kaoru asked curiously.

"Meh, I got a C. Don't care," Haruka deadpanned.

After that, they talked more in the cafeteria during lunch period. Yumi began reading a new book after she finished her lunch. _Treasures of the Snow_ by Patricia St. John. "You really should care a bit more about your grades, Haruma. Don't you want to go to college?" Yumi asked, her eyes glued to her book.

"No," That was all Haruka had to say on the matter. "School life just isn't really for me. I'm kinda surprised you get good grades, Kao. Then again, you are smart."

"I'm not smart. I study," Kaoru said as she took a bite out of some packaged taiyaki.

"Did the police ever catch the idiot who wrecked the store?" Haruka asked.

Kaoru rolled her eyes in an attempt to keep herself calm. The last thing she wanted was to put her friends in danger. "No. They still haven't found them yet," Kaoru said. She felt bad about lying to them, but she told herself it was for their own good. If Lorraine or Hemlock got their hands on her beloved friends, she would never forgive herself.

A blonde haired boy tapped on Yumi's shoulder. "What is it, Shizuo-kun?"

"Would you mind helping me with this problem here? I can't make heads or tails of it," Shizuo explained, showing a math worksheet to Yumi and pointing to the problem he was having trouble with.

"Sure. No problem," Yumi said as she put her book away to help him out.

Haruka turned to Kaoru as she pushed some hair out of her face. "Yumi tells me you're friends with her brother's friend," Haruka said.

"Yeah. Is that okay?"

"Sure. I don't mind. I think it's about time we started meeting some new people anyway."

"But we'll always be friends, right?"

"Duh. I'm not stupid, Kao."

"Ohhh! I get it now! Thanks, Kazahane! You're the best!" Shizuo exclaimed, his brown eyes shining with delight.

Yumi flashed a sweet smile at him. "You're welcome."

"So what are you doing this weekend, Haruma?" Kaoru asked as she finished the last of her egg rolls.

"The usual. Nothing," Haruka deadpanned. "I do know my cousin's coming over, though."

"I see," Kaoru said.

Later on, the final bell rang, and school let out. This time, Kaoru and Suzuran walked home all by themselves. "I wonder if we can fight the Poison Pride all on our own?" Suzuran mused out loud. "I mean, what if the Poizanas get stronger?"

"You're right. Hinako won't give the flask back, so we're kind of on our own," Kaoru said with her hands behind her head. "But maybe this'll be good for us. We can practice improving our fighting skills. Besides, Hinako has her own life to lead, and we can't force her to join us."

Suzuran adopted a miffed expression. "Good! Someone like her doesn't belong on the team anyway!" Suzuran proclaimed boldly.

"Uhh...wow. A little...harsh much?" Kaoru stammered nervously. _'Jeez. People tell me and Haruka we're too honest for our own good! Something must have happened to Suzuran to make her act like this. But no, Kaoru. It's not appropriate to ask about someone's personal life,'_ Kaoru told herself. But she found herself so lost in her thoughts that she wound up bumping into someone again. "Oof!"

Into Hinako no less. Again.

"Ugh! Will you quit bumping into me so much?!" Hinako yelled, her face beet red with anger.

Kaoru rubbed her forehead. "Sorry! I didn't mean it!" Kaoru exclaimed. Suzuran gave Hinako a dirty glare. In her anger, Hinako barely even noticed.

"Seriously! I'm not gonna keep coming here again if this is gonna happen every day, y'know!" Hinako exclaimed, waving her Citron Flask around.

"Good! Because we don't want you around anyway!" Suzuran suddenly exclaimed. Kaoru and Hinako turned to look at the younger girl with wide eyes.

"Suzu-chan, I don't think-" Kaoru was about to say something, but Hinako cut her off.

"What did you say to me?!"

Suzuran's glare didn't fade. She kept her steely eyes on the miffed Hinako. "You heard me! We don't want you around!"

Kaoru didn't want World War III to start, so she stepped in between them. "She doesn't mean it! She's just-"

"Yes I do! I DO mean it!" Suzuran interrupted.

"Suzu-chan! Don't get on her bad side!" Kaoru exclaimed worriedly.

"Hmph! If I'm not wanted around here, then fine! It's not like I ever wanted to join your stupid little Cutie Pure team anyway!" Hinako exclaimed with her arms crossed.

"It's Pretty Cure, you stupid meanie!" Suzuran yelled.

"I'm not stupid!" Hinako snapped back.

"Actually, yes you are," Another voice chimed in maliciously. But it didn't belong to Kaoru or Suzuran, and it certainly didn't belong to Hinako. All three girls turned toward the sidewalk. Their eyes widened.

Hemlock stood before them, his sword unsheathed and ready for slicing. "Care to hand over the flasks and the useless butterfly now?" Hemlock sneered.

Suzuran and Kaoru pulled out their Fragrant Flasks, ready for battle. "Make us, you jerk! Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!" Suzuran and Kaoru wasted no time transforming.

"The plumeria has the sweet scent of life, Cure Plumeria!"

"The lily of the valley has the rich scent of joy, Cure Muguet!"

Cures Plumeria and Muguet wasted no time throwing some kicks and punches on Hemlock, who blocked them all with both his sword and his legs. Hinako watched from afar, conflicted over what to do. Some sweat beaded down her face, and her hands trembled. She watched as Cure Plumeria attempted to smack Hemlock across the head with her hand, but he evaded it and kicked her in the abdomen, sending her flying into a tree.

Cure Muguet pulled out her Lily Wand and wasted no time attacking. "Lily Zephyr!" Instead of a light appearing from the wand, a ferocious gust of wind spiraled out of the tip of her wand, spiraling toward the calm and collected Hemlock. He blasted it all away with one swing of his sword. Before Cure Muguet could do anything, Hemlock grabbed a chunk of her hair and threw her across the street. Cure Muguet managed to prevent herself from getting hurt by doing some back flips before charging at him. She tried to punch him, but he grabbed her arm and threw her like she was a rag doll.

"Muguet!" Cure Plumeria grabbed her green garbed friend in the nick of time.

"Thanks!"

"Don't mention it."

Hemlock noticed Hinako as he put his sword back in its sheath. As soon as their eyes met, Hinako tried to sprint for her life. Hemlock charged at her and grabbed her arm. "Hand it over, you useless waste of life," He hissed, giving the frightened Hinako an icy glare. Hinako had never seen such pure, undiluted hatred.

"Hinako!" Cure Plumeria snuck up on Hemlock from behind and kicked him in the back, causing him to stumble a little. He dropped Hinako. Before he could react, Cure Plumeria gave him a swift punch to the face. Plumeria wished she could have knocked one of his teeth out. "You okay?!"

All Hinako could do was nod.

"You won't defeat me that easily, you fools!" Hemlock roared before snapping his fingers. A glowing purple ring of light appeared, surrounding them before shrinking and trapping them.

"Oh no!" Cure Plumeria shouted. She wound up dropping her Plumeria Wand, but Cure Muguet managed to keep clinging to hers. Hemlock fired a black blob at a small blade of grass, causing it to evolve into a giant centipede with glowing red eyes.

"Poizanaaaaaa!" It howled.

"Now that you're trapped, you can't defeat us, now can you?" Hemlock sneered. "Poizana. Do away with these brats."

Hinako found herself frozen with fear. They just saved her, and now they were in danger of losing this battle. Hinako looked down at the Citron Flask. If they died, it would be her fault. She couldn't let more people get hurt because of her. She had hurt enough people already. She needed to save them. She hadn't been able to thank them for saving her two weeks ago. Not only that, Farfalla was nice to her. Farfalla went out of her own way to thank her for what she had done.

Then why couldn't Hinako do the same?"

Hinako gripped the flask. She knew what she had to do.

"Pretty Cure, Aromatherapy!"

She wasn't sure if she could get used to this transformation, but she knew she had to. "The citron has the jovial scent of grace, Cure Citron!"

"What?! Another one?! Just great!" Hemlock exclaimed, his face the epitome of disbelief before facepalming. "Poizana! Rip that chick apart!"

"Poizanaaaaa!" The centipede was about to headbutt Cure Citron, but she made a giant leap. CRASH! The centipede hit the concrete so hard it left a huge pothole in the street.

"Whoooooaaaa! I'm flying?! How do I get down?!" Cure Citron whined. All of a sudden, her body began to move on its own. She suddenly descended to the street, falling right on her feet. _'No. Calm down, Hinako. They need you. You have to do this!'_ She told herself, trying to maintain as much of her cool as possible.

Cure Citron grabbed the Plumeria Wand and handed it to Cure Plumeria. "Here!"

"Thanks!"

Cure Citron raised her hand into the sky. "Gather round, scents of the world!" The Citron Wand appeared in her hand. "Citron Wand!"

The Poizana was about to try headbutting the girls, but Cure Citron stepped in front of it. The tip of her Citron Wand glowed in a sunny yellow light. "Citron Barrier!" A yellow, flower shaped barrier appeared in between her and the Poizana. The giant centipede pushed her into the trap. But instead of the ring trapping her along with Muguet and Plumeria, as soon as she made contact, the ring turned yellow before disappearing into thin air.

"Yay! We're free!" Cure Muguet exclaimed.

"Come on! Let's finish this!" Cure Plumeria declared. "You with us, Citron?"

Citron's shield faded. "I might as well."

The girls readied their attacks. "Plumeria Flash!"

"Lily Zephyr!"

"Citron Cyclone!"

All three of their attacks combined before hitting the Poizana. "Poizanaaaaaaa…" Finally, the Poizana disappeared in thin air. All Hemlock did was glare at them before unsheathing his sword.

"Don't be so cocky! I'm not done with you yet!" Hemlock sneered.

"Bring it on, bub!" Cure Plumeria exclaimed.

"Come on! We can't fight him! He's too strong!" Cure Citron complained, clinging to her Citron Wand. Her legs were shaking, on the verge of giving out.

Hemlock couldn't wait to slice these meddlesome girls to pieces. In his book, they deserved it. But before he could do what he wanted with them, something grabbed the back of his collar, stopping him from moving any further.

"Hey! Hemlock!" Lorraine shouted, her eyes bloodshot and her face beet red with undiluted anger. "I've got a bone to pick with you!" All she did was snap her fingers before she and Hemlock teleported away.

With that, the battle ended. "Whew! That was a tough one!" Cure Plumeria exclaimed as she wiped some sweat off her forehead.

Cure Citron finally exhaled a sigh of relief. "Oh my God! I thought I was gonna die back there!" Cure Citron whined.

Cure Plumeria smiled and approached her. "Um...thanks for saving us back there. We really appreciate it," She told the blonde girl gratefully.

The warm sensation from before enveloped Hinako's heart. Her cheeks turned pink as she turned around. "It's nothing, really! I just wanted to thank you and Muguet for saving me two weeks ago! And...umm...I figure being a superhero would give me an outlet for my frustrations! It's better than putting up with my crazy mom's nagging all the time!"

Cure Plumeria laughed a bit. "Fine with me. Welcome to the team, Cure Citron. We're happy to have you with us."

"Of couse you are! You'd be nothing without me! Ohhhhh hohohoho!" Hinako proclaimed boldly, letting out her overly hammy laugh.

Cure Muguet covered her ears and turned around with a perturbed look on her face. _'I'm not!'_ Cure Muguet yelled in her brain. She wished Hinako wasn't part of her team. Why couldn't it be someone else? Someone nice, like Yumi?

Inside the house, Farfalla watched the whole battle from Kaoru's room, in awe of how spectacularly they managed to handle the situation. Especially Hinako. Farfalla didn't mind if Hinako didn't join the team, but the fact that she did said a lot about her character. "I was right to have believed in her," Farfalla mused to herself. But a sad look appeared on her face. "I...I want to tell them about it...but...if I do, they'll get mad."

A sea of regret engulfed Farfalla's little heart.


End file.
